PHUW 48

Jeong Mok came out of the bathroom and hurried to his room. The damp T-shirt, soaked with bathroom steam, felt sticky. He crossed his arms, grabbed his waist, and pulled it up and off in one motion. Just as he was about to throw the rolled-up shirt to the floor, he pressed it to his face instead.

His heart pounded. Heat flushed his face. A twinge ran down the center of his spine. It wasn’t just from the cold air.

Even with his eyes shut tight, what should have been only darkness was disturbed by a black shape. The large dog shaking water from its wet fur moved in slow motion again and again. But what unsettled Jeong Mok was not the spray of droplets scattering in all directions.

It was the person in the tub with the dog. More precisely, the person whose soaked T-shirt clung to their body, faintly revealing skin beneath.

Soft brown curls, heavy with drops, fell loose across his forehead. His flushed cheeks burned red from washing the huge dog. A stream of water slid down the hollow of his neck, reached his chest, and seeped under the shirt. The thin fabric shrank and clung to his skin, the damp surface showing small hardened points beneath.

Look at me.

The voice was more pout than annoyance, almost playful. Like a ghost, he stood with arms hanging limp, his face scrunched as he looked at Jeong Mok.

His heart skipped a beat. The goosebumps on his back prickled like current.

The spray from the dog had soaked not only his belly but his shorts too. The shorts clung damp against pale thighs. The clear rivulet running down the inner side of his leg looked indecent. Jeong Mok sucked in a breath.

See? I’m completely soaked.

The petulant voice echoed like far-off thunder.

At some point the showerhead was in his hand. As if deciding to enjoy swimming after falling into the water, he sprayed it everywhere without care. His shorts clung tightly to his skin like swimwear.

Through the sagging neckline of his shirt, his nipples stood out. Before the startled man gasped in shock, his shorts rode up deep between his cheeks, and the sight of the cleft held Jeong Mok’s eyes.

Then he remembered the bare legs he saw yesterday. Back then he had been focused on the burn and overlooked his expression. Blushing, biting his lip, he had been unable to hide his arousal.

But he was only twenty-four, too young to have any adult maturity. It must have been impatience. A natural thing for his age. And they were both men. Jeong Mok had dismissed it as nothing. But now it felt lurid.

It’s dangerous. This is dangerous.’

When asked what was wrong, he should have stormed out.

His insides burned faintly. This was truly dangerous. That heat might flow downward.

‘Crazy bastard.’

He was shocked at himself. He already disliked himself enough, but now he was filthy, contemptible.

‘What am I doing, getting aroused over a child who doesn’t know anything. One who even has trauma and panic attacks.’

Even as the thought of trauma surfaced, his mind recalled the feel of that body pressing close.

With his face buried in the shirt, Jeong Mok tried to steady his breathing. If he wasn’t careful, he might get excited over someone so defenseless. It was an act unworthy of an adult.

But between zero and not zero there was an uncrossable wall. His mind had already cracked open the path.

‘Am I gay? Or a ped0phile?’

It’s legally not ped0philia. But feeling sexual impulse toward someone vulnerable, with memory loss and panic disorder, was no different from that perversion. Even if not, in terms of their relationship it fell into sexual assault by power.

‘Don’t think that. Forget what you saw.’

He commanded himself. But the more he tried to forget, the clearer the image became.

Once aware, he couldn’t go back. Like being told not to think of an elephant. To stop remembering, he had to recall, an inescapable trap.

‘Crazy.’

The only thing left was to hammer the stake of danger recognition and discipline himself harshly so it would not progress.

‘Keep Ahn Haeri reasonable distance, so it never shows in word or deed.’

He made up his mind. Then he changed clothes and went back out.

Just then the bathroom door opened. Haeri, straining to hold back the dog, shouted in urgency.

“There aren’t enough towels.”

He had stocked plenty inside, but they were no match for Gom.

Jeong Mok fetched every towel from his ensuite. Haeri took them and began drying Gom. Naturally, Jeong Mok helped too.

Even just to stop the dripping, it took over ten towels. While they dried him, Gom lost patience and whined, then barked loudly.

“My ears are going to burst.”

“Let’s stop now.”

When Jeong Mok gave up, Haeri stopped too. Finally free, Gom leapt around the living room. He shook water everywhere and even climbed onto the sofa.

“Hey, what are you doing to the floor and sofa! Get down!”

“The floor can be wiped. The sofa’s also old.”

Jeong Mok calmed Haeri, who was about to yell.

Gom paid no mind to whether his guardian was angry or not. He circled around on the sofa and then sprawled down. He lazily licked his paw a couple of times before giving up and flopping flat. It had been an hour and a half since the bath began. The people were exhausted, so the one being bathed had every reason to be worn out too.

“Is it okay to just leave him like that?”
Haeri asked with worry.

“If it isn’t okay, how would you move him?”

“That’s true.”

Haeri was completely spent as well.

“Ugh. It’s damp.”

He wanted to take off his T-shirt, but his arms had no strength. After struggling, he finally asked Jeong Mok for help.

“Hyung-nim. Can you help me with this?”

Jeong Mok looked back silently and pulled the half-removed shirt off. Then he grabbed a dry towel and handed it to Haeri.

“Take off your shorts first.”

Haeri refused the towel and reached for the waistband of his shorts.

“Go to your room and change.”
Jeong Mok pointed stiffly toward the room.

“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to just take them off here?”

“No. Go to your room.”

Annoyance lingered faintly in his turned-away profile.

Was it that the dog was fine, but people were not? Or was it that Gom had already made a mess and he didn’t want Haeri adding to it? If that were the case, changing by the wet bathroom would have been better.

“Hurry.”

“Then I’ll change in the bathroom.”

Haeri went back into the bathroom and pulled off his shorts and underwear together. Just as he was about to step out, Jeong Mok yanked the door shut. What was this now?

“Wait there a moment.”

His voice came sharp through the door. Haeri flinched.

‘Even if he says it’s fine, is he actually furious the sofa’s ruined?’

Haeri thought he had gotten to know him well enough. But this behavior was hard to grasp.

Even the way he had opposed adopting Gom showed it. Jeong Mok had only accepted the dog because Haeri forced it with threats of moving out and running away. He clearly didn’t like it. Since scolding the dog was useless, he must be holding it in.

“If he doesn’t like it, he could just say so. Why make me guess.”

He grumbled, then thought back on his own behavior. From adopting Gom to brushing and trimming his nails to bathing him, Jeong Mok had explained step by step. Said he couldn’t handle it alone. Haeri had ignored the warnings and insisted, and as a result Jeong Mok had shouldered the responsibility and hassle. Feeling disappointed by him was shameless.

The sofa was old, unfit for a rich house. That could mean it was precious enough to keep despite the age.

‘Could it be a sofa Song-i liked?’

He was done for. He should have noticed from the start, when Jeong Mok kept this old sofa unlike the rest of the furniture.

Haeri grimaced and crouched on the spot.

“Gom, you troublemaker!”

He suddenly shouted.

Knock knock.

He nearly fell over in shock.

“Is something wrong?”
Jeong Mok asked from outside.

“No. It’s fine.”

“I heard a loud noise.”

“It’s really nothing.”

“Alright. I left your clothes at the door. Change and come out, or you’ll catch a cold.”

Then the sound of his footsteps faded.

“Phew.”

After some self-reflection, Haeri used the chance to clean the bathroom. Even with Jeong Mok’s help caring for the dog, cleaning up was still entirely his task.

The bathroom was a mess of fur and suds. He sprayed it down with the shower and pulled out the fur clogging the drain, balling it together. After cleaning, he rinsed himself quickly and opened the door. The wet towels were gone, replaced with a dry towel and clothes.

He got dressed and wiped the damp floor with the towel he had used on his hair. When he stepped into the living room, he saw Gom stretched out on the sofa and rushed over.

“Hey, get down.”

Pushing the heavy body was not easy. Gom flapped his ears lazily, but only when Haeri smacked his rump and scolded him did he finally crawl down to the floor.

“Why are you hitting him.”

Jeong Mok appeared out of nowhere and reproached Haeri. That was a trap. He must not get caught.