Chapter One - Odor of Mendacity

 

Jimin ran towards the screams. He wasn’t sure what the commotion was about but as the only teacher in the area, he had a duty to investigate. As he rounded the corner, he could immediately feel the movement of his feet fall out of sync with the movement of the rest of his body.  The heels of his rubber boots hydroplaned over the glossy waxed tile, powered by an expanding puddle of pea green liquid with small chunks of spam mixed in. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. His feet danced and shuffled as he tried to ground himself and regain traction. It was no use, he was going down. His arms flailed, reaching for anything and everything that could help break his fall. With a painful “TWACK” his hand slapped against the steel dial of the locker next to him. Within several blinks he crashed hard to the ground, belly-flopping into a rank pool of teenage vomit left by some nauseous kid in the hallway. Jimin’s chest hit the linoleum tile so hard that the breath was knocked out of him. 

He slid several feet on his stomach, only coming to rest when his head slammed into the cement block below the row of lockers. Stars danced around his head as everything went black. Bits of partially digested spam stuck to his sweater; the putrid viscous liquid soaking through to his skin. Jimin lay there face down while laughter, snorts and giggles sounded in the distance. He could hear the vile middle schoolers laughing at his misfortune. He hated them. He had a visceral disgust for any child older than eight. He wanted to hop up immediately and gather the little scoundrels before they all fled. 

Mocking a teacher was an offense worthy of in-school suspension. But the ringing in his head precluded him from doing anything other than lay there, face down, in vomit that was not his own. In his vulnerable state, he expected that at least one of the vile little creatures would approach him in an attempt to help. But no one came. They only laughed harder as they heard him mutter profanities aimed at each of them. His eyes were still closed, not because he was unconscious, but because he needed a moment of reflection. He questioned every life decision he had ever made. Why had he chosen to teach? Why did he feel he had anything to offer these pubescent sub-humans? Why was he even here at this shitty private school? Why was he not in a prestigious university somewhere spreading his love of poetry and philosophy? Why?

“Yep that’s vomit,” a voice said calmly in the distance. “Chin-lee, please get the janitor. We need to clean this up before someone else falls. And all of you, back to class right now. Whoever made this mess, go to the nurse. You have the black plague. No one vomits this much goo and spam unless they are suffering from the black plague. Go!” Jeongguk cleared the hallway.

A small sixth grader, whose pallor was as green as his vomit, placed his hand over his mouth and went running towards the nurse’s office. 

It wasn’t until he felt the gentle tugging at his shoulder and then the tender assist of someone rolling him to his back, that Jimin bothered to open his eyes. 

“Mr. Park, are you okay? I could hear you screaming all the way from the teacher’s lounge. You took a pretty nasty fall. Careful, let me help you up.”

“Mr. Jeon…boy am I glad to see you.”

“How did this happen? How did you end up,” Jeongguk frowned, “in a swimming pool of vomit?”

 “I heard one of these urchins screaming about a kid being sick. I thought it was an emergency so I ran over to help and slipped on this puddle of vomit and slid head-first into the lockers. And you know the worst part?” Jimin looked contemptuously across the empty hallway, “These little wretched teenage urchins were happy to watch me die as opposed to getting any modicum of help.”

“Yea…so a few of them video taped it. I’m sure this little er-um-incident is all over tik-tok by now.”

“Aish!” Jimin slowly sat upright, bottom now covered in vomit just like the rest of him. “Why don’t the lower school teachers have their own teacher’s lounge? I shouldn’t have to wander through the ganglands of middle school just to warm up my fucking lunch,” Jimin whispered as he lifted his hand to his achy forehead.

“I hear you. Your complaint is valid and all of the lower school teachers agree. We’ve been petitioning for our own microwave and refrigerator for four years now. Enough is enough. I hate this side of the building. It smells like teenage armpits and pee,” Jeongguk complained as he delicately lifted Jimin to his feet. 

“Oh GAWD I SMELL!” Jimin crinkled his nose as the pungent odor of kid vomit wafted through his nostrils.”

“You smell awful. LIterally like a bowl of shit with milk.” Jeongguk laughed. Jimin dry-heaved. Between the smell and Jeongguk’s visualization, he wanted to vomit as well.

“I’m having a very bad day,” Jimin said sadly. “First, one of the first graders found a bag of peanuts on the playground and brought it into the classroom. The entire room had to be decontaminated. Do you know how many peanut allergies we have in my class? Yea, like all of them. Literally every student has a fucking peanut allergy. I almost had a mass homicide on my hands. Then, I raced all the way over to this side of the building to get my lunch from the refrigerator, only to find that someone had eaten it. And now… this.” Jimin looked down at his vomit soaked clothes and once again dry-heaved. “I can’t wear these clothes all day. I have to change. I’ll be late coming back from lunch, but I can’t continue on smelling like this,” Jimin explained.

“Your place is pretty far from here, isn’t it?”

“About an hour’s drive.”

“Hmm, you don’t have time to go back home to change. We would have to try to get a substitute. Even the damn PE teachers are tied up. You can’t leave your class alone. So I’m going to propose a different idea. Let’s run to my place. I live half a block away. We’ll throw your clothes in the wash, and I’ll loan you something to wear - just for the day.”

“I don’t want to impose…,” Jimin was hesitant to accept Jeongguk’s offer, even though it was a really good plan. “What will your boyfriend say if I show up at his house covered in vomit in the middle of the day?”

“He’ll say nothing because one, it’s my house too. And two, he’s at work. I’ll explain it to him when he comes home, but for now, it doesn’t matter. We’re not doing anything wrong. It’s just a quick change of clothes. This is literally an emergency. We’re the only two male first grade teachers in this entire academy. We have to stick together,” Jeongguk smiled.

Jeon Jeongguk was a second year instructor at the Hagwon, an academy for accelerated youth. He and his friend Jimin were acquaintances, occasionally sharing a lunch break. Other than a few staff sponsored cocktail hours, they really hadn’t spent much quality time together outside of being professional colleagues. But they were close enough that Jimin didn’t find it particularly awkward to accept Jeongguk’s offer for a change of clothes. 

Jeongguk didn’t seem to mind Jimin’s vomit soaked body because he lifted him carefully, wrapping both arms around him, despite droplets of the fluid staining his own clothes. He stared carefully at the small lump that was beginning to develop on Jimin’s forehead.

“Ouch, this needs some ice. Are you ok to walk?” Jeongguk asked.

“I’m fine. It probably looks worse than it is. I can barely - OUCH! SHIT!” Jimin swore as soon as his fingers touch the bruise. “Ok, yea, so ice…,” he smiled.

“Follow me.”

Jeongguk led Jimin out of the building, watching him carefully for any signs of dizziness. It wasn’t everyday that a person swan dived across the middle school hallway right into a row of lockers.  Just as Jeongguk promised, his apartment was right across the street, less than a five minute walk. 

“Come in. The place is a little messy, but I didn’t exactly expect guests,” he walked Jimin inside. 

“Nice place. I had no idea this apartment building was so fancy inside. And you live so close to the school. Must be nice,” Jimin said as he admired the place. 

Jeongguk’s home was anything but messy. It was a bit dark, full of black leather furniture, dark art pieces and black and white tile floors. The furnishings were expensive, so was his liquor collection, and custom sewn drapes. Nothing about the place screamed ‘teacher’s salary’. 

“This feels very anti-first grade teacher,” Jimin teased. “Uh what did you say your boyfriend did again?”

“He’s a Director at a marketing firm - Mindshare. Have you heard of it?”

“Who hasn’t. Wow, he must be big time. This place is fantastic. I’m almost afraid to touch anything.”

“Most of this is his shit, not mine. He takes great pride in owning…stuff. He’s very materialistic. Not my favorite trait, but he has other redeeming qualities.”

“Such as…?” Jimin probed. This was the first time that he and his co-worker had talked for more than five minutes about something other than students.

“He’s got very large…assets,” Jeongguk said impishly.

“Oh come on. You’re not that shallow. Tell me what you see in him. What makes you love him?” Jimin asked curiously.

“Some other time. Right now, you need to shower,” Jeongguk threw a large fluffy white towel at him and a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “Lunch will be over soon. Throw all of your stained clothes in this bag. I’ll throw them in the wash and return them to you tomorrow.”

Jimin nodded, “I owe you one.”

“You owe me many, now get naked and wash. You’re stinking up my living room,” Jeongguk walked Jimin to a large black marble bathroom with a spacious black shower. The shower head was the largest that Jimin had ever seen. There were two additional shower heads affixed to the wall. Jeongguk twisted the black steel knobs as the water came rushing down like a waterfall.

“Holy shit! Is this how you shower everyday?”

Jeongguk laughed, “Get in. Enjoy. But make it quick. Your first graders are assholes and need supervision.” 

“My students are better than yours. Didn’t that Dwan kid put a frog down Li’s dress? And didn’t Jaheon pee in the garbage can? And didn’t Shun…,”

“Alright, alright. So I drew the short straw when it came to this year’s first grade class. But your kids aren’t saints either.” 

Maybe because the conversation was so natural, or maybe because Jeongguk was such a calm presence, or possibly it was because he was hypnotized by his co-worker’s crescent dimples, but Jimin found himself stripping for the shower, giving no thought to his own nudity. He stuffed his shirt and pants into the laundry bag and just before slinking out of his underwear, Jeongguk cleared his throat.

“Oop, slow down there soldier. At least let me cover my eyes,” Jeongguk closed his eyes, extended his arms and held the garbage bag away from his body, allowing Jimin to quickly drop his underwear inside. 

Without hesitation Jimin jumped into the shower. The shower cubby was full of designer soaps and shower gels. Jeongguk’s accommodations felt more like a fancy hotel than a teacher’s bathroom. Jimin broke into song as he joyfully washed the vomit and spam bits out of his hair. 

Jeongguk backed away from the shower. Completely accidentally, he’d seen a bit too much of his fellow teacher and he was woefully embarrassed to admit that he enjoyed every moment of it. His walk to the washing machine was filled with laughter as he listened to Jimin’s colorful voice singing. “So cute.”  He popped the stained clothes into his washing machine, started it and then headed to the kitchen to get a bag of ice for Jimin’s forehead. 

 

There was a rattle at the door and then a jingling of keys. Jeongguk heard the rattling at the door immediately. He popped his head out of the freezer and stared in stunned silence at the front door. The only person who had a key to his apartment was his boyfriend, Yu-jon.  

Jeongguk ran to the door to meet him. The moment Yu-jon stepped through the door, he started explaining, “Babe…uh what are you doing home?” Jeongguk looked back and forth between the front door and the bedroom where Jimin was showering. He could immediately feel beads of sweat gather across his forehead. His neck length curly locks frizzed from the heat of nervousness. Yu-jon was not supposed to be there. Never had he come home in the middle of the day. 

Jeongguk panicked. He had to explain Jimin’s sudden visit before Yu-jon saw him and jumped to the wrong conclusion. “I have a friend and he…,” Jeongguk didn’t get another word out. Jimin came strutting out of the bedroom, soaking wet, with a towel wrapped around his waist. Even in the midst of his panic, Jeongguk noted that he was beautiful. Despite Jimin’s very fucked up timing, Jeongguk’s eyes drilled through him, taking in every inch of his wet glistening skin.

“Where did you put my change of clothes?” Jimin said as he used his fingers to lightly brush his wet bangs away from his forehead. 

Yu-jon immediately began yelling. “WHAT THE FUCKk? Who is this? What is he doing here? You’re fucking someone else in my house? Right under my nose?”

Jeongguk’s eyes widened. “Babe. NO! Of course not. That’s not at all what’s happening here,” Jeongguk tried to lighten the mood and laugh it off. But he knew Yu-jon very well and he was upset. “I was trying to explain…this is Jimin. He’s the other first grade teacher. You-you-you remember him?” Jeongguk stuttered. As he stood there, his flesh began to crawl and his heart felt faint. It looked bad, very bad. Having a man as gorgeous as Jimin in his apartment, naked, in the middle of the day - looked very, very bad.

“What are you even doing home? You’re supposed to be at the school with your students. I came home for lunch because I forgot my phone and I catch you here…with this guy. I should have known. I should have known. You’re always talking about how good looking he is and how kind he is. I should have KNOWN YOU HAD SOMETHING GOING ON WITH HIM!  Is this what you fucking do everyday while I’m at work? You come home to fuck him here? In our bed? Is this what you do?” Yu-jon’s voice continued to rise. He suspected the worst and Jeongguk couldn’t blame him. 

Jimin was unhelpful, “Nothing is going on here. I-I-I hardly even know him. I mean we’ve had drinks a few times after work, but nothing more. I-I-I…,” Jimin swallowed hard. He ran back to the bedroom to look for the clothes that Jeongguk had loaned him. He dressed as quickly as possible, convinced that it would be much better to confront Jeongguk’s boyfriend with his dick covered with more than a towel. He could hear Jeongguk stammering, trying to explain. There was no underwear for him to put on, but he dressed in as many clothes as possible and then headed back out to the kitchen to try to help Jeongguk explain. “I fell…into a puddle of vomit. None of the kids would help. Jeongguk found me, I had crashed into …,” his voice was overridden.

“I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!  EVERY FUCKING THING AND YOU DO THIS?” Yu-jon was now in tears, screaming at Jeongguk at the top of his lungs. 

“Baby, calm down. Please, just let me explain. He fell. He was a mess. I invited him back here to shower and change because he was covered in vomit. It’s not how it looks. We hardly know each other. I’ve never had sex with him. Please, you have to believe me. What happened to trust? What happened to listening to each other and talking things through? You’re jumping to conclusions and that’s not fair.”

Yu-jon raged. He ran towards Jeongguk so fast that Jimin thought he was going to hit him. He continued to scream, spit flying from his angered lips, “I come home and find a naked man in my living room, wet and shiny with his dick hard, and you expect me to believe there is nothing going on?”

Jimin unfortunately chimed in again, “Now wait a minute. I know this looks bad…but not that bad. My dick was not hard. I object to that characterization,” he was still not helpful. “And if it was a little hard, it's only because of the hot water in your shower.”

“Jimin please stop talking,” Jeongguk tried again to salvage the situation, “I moved in here two months ago because we are in love. I did not go through all of this to cheat on you with a man who I barely know. You have to believe me when I tell you that this is just a misunderstanding. He doesn’t mean anything to me. I can prove what I’m saying…look in the washer. You will see his soiled clothes. Look at his head…he hit on the locker when he slipped in a puddle of vomit. Please baby, please listen to me. I am not cheating on you.”

“I pitied you. You were a struggling teacher with no fashion sense, outdated clothes that look like they were from a thrift shop. You had no couth. You were unloved and desperate and I took you in. Like a fool, I gave you a home, I gave you love, I gave you style. You’re pathetic.”

“Yu-jon, please. Don’t do this…not in front of Jimin. We can talk more later…,” Jeongguk turned three shades of pink as Yu-jon belittled him in front of Jimin.

Jimin tried again, “Jeongguk is telling the truth. He talks about you all the time. Even when he invited me over, he told me that he was going to talk to you about it. He loves you…I guess. Please don’t let my misfortune cause you two to fight. There is nothing going on here.” Jimin’s words didn’t fall well. Everything he said seemed to only aggravate Yu-jon further. “Yea, ok,  in fact, I have to go. I have to get back to my class. Jeongguk I’ll bring your students into my classroom until you return. You can bring my clothes tomorrow or maybe mail them. You two talk…work this out. I promise…uh Yu-jon was it?” Jimin smiled as he tried to validate the man’s name. He held out his hand for a handshake but was met with a glare. It was clear that Yu-jon was contemplating killing him. Jimin read the room. It was definitely time for him to leave. “Yea…so I’ll go.”

He patted Jeongguk gently on the shoulder as he left. He felt like a cod leaving him there all alone to try to explain something that wasn’t his fault. All Jeongguk had done was offer kindness. He didn’t deserve to be stuck in this situation. Jimin vowed to come back and speak to Yu-jon again to convince him that there was nothing going on, but at that moment, he had to get back to class. He lingered for a fraction of a second, hoping to make eye contact with Jeongguk one last time. But instead he was met with Yu-jon slamming the door in his face.

***

 

Jeongguk didn’t return to class that day. In fact he had a substitute teacher for the remainder of the week. Whatever had happened between him and Yu-jon, wasn’t good. Jimin drove by his apartment several times in the days following. He just wanted a sign, something to let him know that Jeongguk was ok. In his mind, he hoped that he and Yu-jon had made up and were just spending some time alone making love. The thought of that was strangely unsettling. 

 

Jimin didn’t know what he expected to find, but he drove past Jeongguk’s apartment several times over the weekend that followed. Guilt plagued him. How such a simple misunderstanding could cause so much strife was beyond him. Clearly, the relationship between Jeongguk and Yu-jon wasn’t a very solid one if Yu-jon couldn’t trust Jeongguk enough to accept that he was telling the truth. None of that was Jimin’s fault even though the guilt he felt kept him awake.

 

The following Monday, Jimin rushed into the building. He was running late and didn’t have time to stop by Mr. Jeon’s room. Once his students were settled in their reading circle, Jimin saw his chance,

“Be right back kiddos. I need to borrow a uh-uh-uh an eraser from Mr. Jeon.”  Jimin closed the door to his classroom and sprinted down the hallway like a maniac.

 

He hoped against hope that Jeongguk was there. He was. The handsome dark-haired instructor was standing there at the black board, smiling at his students as he walked them through a difficult math problem. A rush of relief came over Jimin. He was so overwrought that he bounded into the room and gave Jeongguk a hug. His students all broke into laughter.

“I’m so happy to see you. How are you? Are things ok? I was so worried when you didn’t return to class last week. Did you work things out with Yu-jon? Oh Jeongguk, I’m so sorry. I never meant to cause that kind of trouble.” 

Jeongguk looked at his students who were somewhat discombobulated by the sudden visit from Mr. Park. They continued to giggle as Jeongguk pulled Jimin out into the hallway.

“Who’s watching your class?” Jeongguk asked.

“Technically, I left Soon-yon in charge. Technically…,” Jimin peered down the hallway towards his classroom. Everything seemed quiet so he assumed that nothing had been set on fire.

“I’m fine. I’m back. It’s over between me and Yu-jon. The fight that day…well it was bad. He kicked me out. I’m staying with my mother and her boyfriend until I can find a place. Not a big deal. I’m better off without him,” Jeongguk gave Jimin a quick smile.

Jimin wasn’t convinced. A moment of silence passed between them as Jimin examined Jeongguk’s eyes, searching for the truth. 

“AHHHHHH MR. PARK, We have a problem!” A sudden beckoning came from Jimin’s classroom. Soon-yon yelled down the hallway, “Hurry. Hurry.”

“Oh what fresh new hell is this?” Jimin gave Jeongguk a quick pat on the shoulder as he paced backwards towards his classroom, “We aren’t finished talking, ok?” he turned and ran to his room.

 

The scene that Jimin walked into could not have been any worse. One of the children, his youngest tot, Dong-geun was urinating in his wicker wastebasket. 

“Fuck me,” Jimin muttered under his breath. “Dong-geun, what is going on here? Stop it. Stop it right now.” Jimin was unsure exactly how to make him stop. He certainly wasn’t going to touch the child mid-pee. “What are you doing? Put that away. You’re too old for this kind of behavior. This is something a kindergartener would do,” Jimin was terse.

“I skipped kindergarten. I’m exceptionally bright,” Dong-geun responded.

“You sure about that?” Jimin questioned. Jimin stared down at his trash. Dong-geun’s pee was starting to leak through the bottom of the porous wicker basket. Jimin instinctively stood in a chair as he watched the ever expanding pool of pee roll across the floor. If there was anything in the world that he hated the most, it was body fluids. 

“It’s not my fault. I had to go and you weren’t here so I couldn’t ask for permission to go to the bathroom. So what was I supposed to do?” Dong-geun defended himself.

“NOT THIS! Definitely not this. I was just down the hall. All you had to do was…,” 

“Mr. Park, can I pee in the wastebasket too? I have to go,” Jae asked.

“Me too,” another student asked. 

“Me too, I want to pee in the trash too,” a third boy asked.

“No, no, no and no. Alright, if you need to go to the restroom, raise your hand,” Jimin asked.

A flurry of hands flew into the air. The entire class suddenly needed to pee.

“I’ve been gone less than five minutes. Not a single one of you had to pee when I left.”

“That was then, this is now,” Soon-yon explained.

Jimin had a dilemma, the more time passed, the more pee leaked onto his floor. Yet he didn’t dare risk even more kid pee flooding his room, so he had to escort the class to the restroom. The pee was starting to smell and there was so much of it.

“Dong-geun, exactly how much apple juice did you drink?” 

“Five boxes,” he said.

Jimin sighed, “Ok. Line up. We’re going to the restroom. Keep your hands to yourself. Walk down the hallway quietly. We are not scheduled to take a break for another two hours, so the other classes are still working. Do not say a word. Watch me.” Jimin used his fingers to zip his lips.

The other kids mimicked him by zipping their lips as well. They then continued to talk. Jimin could see the yellow stain of pee spreading over the floor. He had to get the kids emptied quickly so he could get  back and clean it up. Calling janitorial services was not an option because he couldn’t risk Principal Han finding out that he had left the kids unattended. 

 

It took ten minutes for the entire class to pee. By the time they got back to the classroom, the pee had leaked all around his desk. He stared down at his wicker wastebasket. Luckily he had a swiffer wet jet that he kept in his closet for these exact situations. He held his nose and pulled on latex gloves as he rushed the leaking basket to the large garbage bin in the hallway. Then he poured bleach on the floor, followed by the leftover water from his thermos. He cleaned up the mess, leaving behind a potent order of bleach. 

And it was likely the smell of bleach that summoned Principal Han to the door of his classroom. 

“Mr. Park,” Jimin heard her shrill voice from the hallway, “what’s that smell? What’s going on here?”

“Dong-geun peed in the trash while Mr. Park left us unattended to visit Mr. Jeon and then when he came back there was pee all over the floor so he used bleach to clean it up,” Soon-yon was the biggest narc Jimin had ever encountered. Every single detail that he hoped to keep confidential was spilled. 

“Oh come on!” Jimin snapped at her and shook his head.

“Mr. Park. What is this about you leaving the kids unattended? Surely Soon is mistaken. Surely you would not leave a child in your care - unattended. That would be against every policy we have here at Busan Hogem. And it would definitely be grounds for disciplinary action.”

Jimin stuttered to explain, “They-they uh-they weren’t really unattended…I mean…,”

“Stop by my office after school. I fully expect you to explain yourself,” Principal Han said sternly.

 

Principal Han Hyo-Joo was the newest headmaster at Busan Hogem. She was not a fan favorite. She hadn’t taught in a classroom for over twenty years and she had no idea what the state of education was in the new digital era. Contemptuous disregard for every teacher in the building was her preferred method of leadership. No one on staff approved of her  appointment and several of the best teachers were driven out as a result. She was called “bitch” behind her back so often that some of the students believed that was her first name. Staff morale was low, students were out of control, the curriculum was lagging and the pricey academy was the laughing stock of Busan because of poor student performance. Yet she remained in power due to her influence with the school’s richest donors. Her worst attribute was her tendency to fabricate rules and punishments that went against every letter of the district guidelines. She was rogue, abusive, and full of her own power. Everyone was afraid to cross her because of her untethered dictatorship and the authority she had to ruin careers.

Principal Han especially didn’t like Jimin and Jeongguk. In her opinion, men did not belong in the world of primary school education. She was disrespectful and combative and no one wanted her around.

“Yes, Principal Han, I’ll see you after school. I’m sure we can clear this up. It’s not what you think.” Jimin stared at the large pimple on her forehead and her bushy unibrow. It was remarkable how unattractive she was. Speaking to her in private, beyond the earshot of the little tattle tales was best. He needed to explain his side of the story and not the unfiltered truth from a bunch of first graders.

 

***

 

Jeongguk stood by the swings during recess. With his arms folded, he stared at the ground seemingly lost in his own tragic thoughts. His clothes were wrinkled and didn’t match; the sign of a man living out of a suitcase.

Jimin took a chance at coaxing him to talk, “Coffee?” He handed Jeongguk a cup of coffee. “It’s not the shit from the teacher’s lounge, if that’s what you’re thinking. I have my own Keurig in my classroom. This is the good stuff. There’s no Vodka in it, but it’ll do the job.”

Jeongguk laughed, “You didn’t have to worry about me. I’m a big boy, I can handle my own affairs. By the way I was able to grab your clothes from the wash while I was being kicked out by my ex. They’re all clean and folded. I’ll drop them by your classroom tomorrow.”

“Thanks, you didn’t have to do that.” Jimin’s eyes swept through the bristling trees, “I just feel so guilty. This is all my fault. All you were trying to do was help me. Are you sure that I can’t maybe talk to him…over drinks…or maybe a cup of coffee? Maybe I can convince him to believe you.”

“You should probably stay away from him.” Jeongguk nodded. As the kids screamed and laughed from the playground, Jeongguk took his first sip of Jimin’s coffee. “This is good. Much better than that shit in the teacher’s lounge. Thanks.”

“So now what? I mean is it really over? No chance of reconciliation?”

“I don’t want him anymore, Jimin. He’s cheated on me before - you know? But I have never been unfaithful to him. I’ve never given him a reason to suspect me of anything. I’ve been faithful and loving and supportive and forgiving. Even after he treated me like shit.”

“Wait…he cheated on you?”

“Twice. And I took him back each time. Stupid, I guess.”

“In love…I guess. Love can really make us do crazy things.” Jimin had a hard time reading Jeongguk’s mood. He seemed to be hurt over the break up, but also relieved. “So how do you feel about everything?”

“I don’t regret a thing. If I’m honest, our relationship has been limping along ever since I caught him cheating the second time. I should have dumped his ass a long time ago, but I just didn’t have the courage to do it. But then you came along and kind of forced the matter.”

“Oh Jeongguk, I am so sorry. I feel terrible. This is just not acceptable. I don’t blame you if you never want to speak to me again. I should have trusted my instincts and not gone back there with you. Please forgive me for all of the damage that I caused.”

“Jimin, look at me.” Jeongguk placed his hand along the bottom of Jimin’s chin and lifted it slightly, “Nothing you did caused this. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My relationship was doomed months ago. And honestly, I’m happy that it’s over. It’s time for me to work on finding someone who truly appreciates me and someone who can keep his dick in his pants,” Jeongguk said tersely.

“Yea. Ok. I’m still sorry…,” Jimin looked around and watched his students play hide and seek behind the large Daimak tree. He wasn’t sure how it would be received, but he asked anyway, “I know we aren’t exactly close. But I’m a good listener. I won’t judge. And you look like you could really use a friend right now. Do you maybe want to go somewhere and talk?” 

“Talk?” Jeongguk was surprised by the offer. 

“Yes, talk. But not today though. I landed myself in a shit load of trouble with Principal Han. I have to go by her office after class. She’s going to make up some bullshit punishment because I left the class alone for five minutes to run to your classroom.”

Jeongguk gasped, “Oh no. She caught you? Now it’s my turn to apologize. You wouldn’t have left your class if you hadn’t been so worried about me. Whatever you do, stand up for yourself when you meet with her. Don’t let her pull a punishment out of her ass. She’s to go by the official ethics and standards guidelines.”

“Yea, whatever. We both know that she won’t. Anyway…about that drink…?” Jimin didn’t get the chance to continue his conversation.

“Shit…heads up. I think we accidentally summoned her like Beetlejuice.”

“Summoned who?” Jimin looked around.

“Here comes Principal Delores,” Jeongguk rolled his eyes. 

Jimin laughed, “…as in Delores Umbridge from Harry Potter?”

“That one indeed.”

Jimin fell into a fit of laughter. It was the most perfect characterization of the woman that he’d ever heard. He quieted himself as she approached.

“Good morning gentlemen. Mr. Park, will you excuse us? Mr Jeon and I have a private matter to discuss.”

“Whatever you need to say to me, you can say in front of Jimin. Besides, I probably need a witness anyway,” Jeongguk mumbled the last part under his breath.

“I don’t think…,” Principal Han turned up her nose as she snarled at Jimin, “it is appropriate for you to remain present. Please see to your students.”

Jeongguk dreaded talking to her because he knew she would find a way to insult him within the span of a few minutes. “It is perfectly appropriate for him to stay.”

Jimin crossed his arms and stubbornly refused to leave. If Jeongguk wanted him there, then he was staying. 

“Well then,” Principal Han cleared her throat, “regarding the matter of your absences last week. After careful review of your documentation, I have determined that you are not eligible to use vacation time for personal matters without providing proper notice. Therefore, the days where you did not show up to work will be considered job abandonment and will be docked from your pay.”

“What?” Jimin and Jeongguk said in tandem.

“We have very high standards for our instructors here at Busan Hogem. If we were to allow teachers to skip work on a whim, then our students would suffer. Parents don’t want to hear excuses about why a PE teacher had to cover their first grader’s class.”

“Skip school on a whim?” Jeongguk’s face burned red. 

Jimin was sure he was about to take a swing at Principal Han. Well, actually, he wasn’t sure of it but he really wanted it.

“On a whim?” Jeongguk repeated himself. “It wasn’t a whim. I was homeless. I’d been kicked out of my apartment and I had nowhere to go. Forgive me for taking a couple of days off to make sure I didn’t end up  living on the streets of the old Gamcheon village. It was an emergency. I told you this when I called. I even found a sub for my class when I knew I would be out for a few days. How can you dare say that I can’t use my personal time?”

“I will repeat since clearly you did not comprehend. Proper notice was not given. Consult your handbook since you’re incapable of learning the school’s procedures,” She barked.

And there was the insult. A record five minutes into the conversation and she had already called Jeongguk incompetent.

“I know the rules. I understand the rules. I was on the committee of teachers who helped create the rules. And I’m telling you that you have no right to deny my vacation request. And I’ll be appealing this decision.”

Jimin intervened to keep tempers from flaring, “Principal Han be reasonable, if Jeongguk had called in sick, then none of these rules would apply. He could have done that - lied to cover up his very private matter. But he was honest with you and he did things the right way. Surely you can make an exception just this once. Just document it as sick days and then we can all move on.”

“Mr. Park, it would behoove you to mind your own business. I would hate for you to give me cause to review your attendance records. Besides, based on the little stunt you pulled today, you seem to have a loose understanding of the rules as well.” Principal Han turned back to Jeongguk, “My administration is not heartless and we understand that emergencies do occur. But even during emergencies, we have procedures that must be followed. Rules are rules and we must hold our staff accountable in the best interest of the students. I’m sure you understand.” She turned towards the tree and clapped her hands loudly three times, “Students, get down from there. We do not climb trees at Busan Hogem. Mr. Park, see to it that those children are safely recovered from that tree.” She smiled at the two of them as if she had just given them pieces of candy. 

She was indeed a sociopath. 

***

Burnt umber leaves rained through the air, swaying with the wind like sultry dancers. They bounced off of the fingertips of the children, eventually settling peacefully on the carlorful tarmac of the playground. Spiny textured pine cones rested sporadically throughout the edge of the forest, protecting the seedlings that would spawn new life in the spring. The piercing azure skies transitioned to purple and gold sunsets every evening as the sun retired. It was chilly outside. 

The cooler weather brought thick sweaters and long wool scarves, fuzzy mittens and warm blankets, pumpkin lattes and apple cider, hand holding and stolen kisses. All of it signaled the arrival of fall, when the lush green mountains of Busan gave birth to a cornucopia of colors that grew like a muted rainbow towards the sky.

 

And as the school year forged on, so too did the newly minted teachers. Despite their challenges, they continued to make strides with their students, securing more victories than losses. Typically fall was Jimin’s favorite time of the year. But his typical love of the season was marred by the unbearable politics and unruly students surrounding him. There wasn’t a day that went by where he didn’t reflect on his decision to become a teacher. 

Jimin’s mood was measured, with no real solution for how to improve things. Particularly bothersome for him was Jeongguk’s melancholy; a sad aura that had persisted since his break up three months prior. Despite Jeongguk telling him repeatedly that he was not to blame for the breakup, Jimin couldn’t purge the feelings of guilt that tingled in his stomach each time he saw the forced smiles that Jeongguk served to the world. There was no doubt that Jeongguk loved Yu-jon…possibly still loved him. Jimin’s many attempts at getting Jeongguk to open up had all failed. Jimin was worried about him.

Chapter Two - The Audacity

 

It was early morning October 7th. Jimin stirred around his classroom, laying out test papers for the day’s spelling test. He walked up and down the aisles, picking up chewed erasers, passed notes, broken pencils and tissues from the floor. He made a mental note to start making the children clean their areas before leaving for the day. As he walked back to his desk, he glanced through his large picture window that overlooked the playground. Two figures stood near the tree line and they seemed to be arguing. He tried to look away. Afterall, it was none of his business. 

But when a second glance revealed one of the men to be Jeongguk, all pretense vanished. He pressed against the window, eyes glued like a magnet on Jeongguk and - he wasn’t quite sure who the second man was until the man turned slightly, allowing Jimin to get a better look.

“What the hell?” Jimin whispered as he continued to watch. “Yu-jon? What’s he doing here?” He whispered to himself. 

Part of him was elated to see the two talking again…a very, very, very small part of him. However, his majority opinion was that Yu-jon meant trouble and he hoped that Jeongguk didn’t fall into his trap and take him back. Jimin also had to admit that he felt a tinge of jealousy as he watched the two very attractive men spar with each other. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Jeongguk. Somehow, in the chill of the morning, across the frosted playground, Jeongguk looked particularly beautiful. Jimin longed to be closer to him, to get to know him better and possibly buff the jagged edges that Yu-jon left in his life. He wasn’t after anything romantic - not immediately - but he did want to be friends, close friends. 

His curiosity was piqued. What could the two of them possibly have been talking …no arguing…about? Even though it was ill-advised, he cracked the window open just a sliver to hear more of their conversation. The voices were muddled and he couldn’t hear much, but the two were definitely speaking with raised voices. His chest burned when he saw Yu-jon attempt to grab Jeongguk’s hand. But a satisfied grin erupted across his face at the moment that Jeongguk ripped his hand away and forced it into his coat pocket.

“That-a-boy. Resist,” Jimin whispered through the window. 

Jimin was so focused on his spying that he didn’t even realize that several students had arrived to class. They immediately ran to the window when they saw Jimin standing there.

“Morning Mr. Park. What are you looking at?” Eun asked.

Donghyun, Eun and Hee all gathered at the window. Before Jimin could say anything, Eun yelled as loudly as possible, “Hey Mr. Jeon. Good Morning!” She waved at Jeongguk with a broad smile.

“No, no shhh, no don’t do that,” Jimin tried to hush Eun and close the window, but it was too late. The two men had already heard her.

Jeongguk and Yu-jon immediately turned towards the window where they saw Jimin and his three students glaring at them. Jimin’s covert surveillance had been exposed by a seven year old. Before Jimin could retreat, Jeongguk eyed him pathetically; clearly disappointed. It was a nightmare. Jimin stepped away from the window and quickly ran towards the blackboard, out of view of Jeongguk’s peering eyes. He could feel himself turn three shades of pink as his heart fluttered in his chest. The last thing he wanted  was for Jeongguk to think that he was some kind of social degenerate who didn’t respect his privacy. The whole thing was a mistake and he regretted it terribly. 

But…even though his spying ended in disaster, that didn’t take away from his concern about Jeongguk. After three months, why was Yu-jon suddenly in the picture again? What did he want? And why was Jeongguk so upset about it? And what had been so urgent that he had to come to the school to talk to Jeongguk in person? 

As Jimin’s student’s arrived, he instructed them to remove their pencils and prepare for their spelling test. Just before the bell rang, he caught the shadow of Jeongguk rushing past his classroom, headed to his own. He didn’t bother to give Jimin a wave like he usually did in the mornings. Jimin felt sick. He wondered if he had ruined their very special friendship before it even began.

 

It was lunchtime. Due to inclement weather, the food trucks that regularly parked on the street near the school, were not there. In addition, all of the nearby cafes were closed. Jimin’s lunch, a bowl full of Budae Jjigae that he had cooked over the weekend, sat on his desk. Despite doing his best to eat it while cold, he just couldn’t. It had to be warmed to even be palatable. He sat at his desk staring towards the hallway that led to the teacher’s lounge on the other side of the building. Dread filled his veins. Walking through the ganglands of the middle school was the only way to get to the microwave. He could hear the angry growl of his stomach as he procrastinated by grading the spelling tests from earlier that morning. His fate was inevitable, at some point he was going to have to risk it all to warm up his Budae Jjigae.

Jeongguk’s voice cast an Angelic echo from the hallway, “Want to go warm up our lunch?”

Jimin’s head snapped up and his eyes sparkled, “YES!” He couldn’t believe his luck. Not only was Jeongguk still speaking to him, but he offered to partner with him and walk with him through the gates of hell known as the middle school hallway. “Thank God I don’t have to wander into Satan’s alley alone. You know how much I hate middle schoolers.”

“I’m aware. I too share that same disdain.” Jeongguk laughed. “I had high hopes for us getting our own microwave in this building but I seem to have made an enemy of the Principal. I doubt she’ll give us anything at this point, no matter how much support we have from the other teachers. Let’s go.” He led the way as they headed towards the middle school hallway. “Most of the wretched subhumans are in the cafeteria.”

“We should be able to get in and out without smelling any of them,” Jimin teased.

“They stink. They do. All of them,” Jeongguk agreed.

As they walked through the main hall that led from the lower school into the middle school, Jimin took the opportunity to try to explain himself, “Listen…about this morning. I wasn’t spying on you or anything. I was just…well…I saw Yu-jon and I was worried…and…,” Jimin’s speech was interrupted by more screams.

Once again they heard a commotion coming from the middle school hallway as they rounded the corner. Except this time it wasn’t a puking kid, it was a fight. Two younger students had an older student pinned to the shiny white linoleum floor and they were pounding him in the chest with their fists. 

“Aish. Shit. Can we pretend we don’t see it? I just want to warm up my stew,” Jimin complained.

“I….” 

Before Jeongguk could speak, a panicked girl came rushing around the corner, “Mr Jeon, Mr. Park I’m so glad to see you. Come quick! Lee-Jyung is getting his ass kicked.”

“Come on Jimin. We can’t let them beat the kid to death on our watch.”

“Fuck I hate this school,” Jimin complained again.

They both placed their cold lunches safely in the corner and headed towards the brawl. Indeed, two tiny sixth graders were wailing on a rotund, rather awkward eighth grader. The smaller kids were not really large enough to do much harm to the older kid. In fact they seemed to be landing punches that did nothing but bruise their own knuckles. The older child shielded his face and randomly threw punches that landed nowhere. If the older kid had been any bit of a fighter, he would have easily overpowered both of them.

Jimin contemplated hanging back and just yelling instructions to the big goofy kid on how to not get his ass kicked. But Jeongguk insisted that they needed to get involved.

“Chin-Lee, call a resource officer. Tell them we need help breaking up a fight,” Jeongguk ordered. 

Jeongguk and Jimin took a few wordless glances towards each other to quietly agree on who would take who. At the count of three they reached in to separate the three youths.  

“All right break it up, break it up,” Jimin grabbed his designated kid and yanked him by the collar.

As luck would have it, just as Jimin grabbed the arm of one of the bullies, the older student who was being attacked took an errant swing which hit the kid square in the nose. Blood gushed from his face. He clamped his hands against his nose, but it continued to pour through his stretched fingers. All of the kid’s blood landed on Jimin’s white polo shirt. 

At the same time, Jeongguk pulled his designated kid free, allowing the older kid to not only throw a punch at Jimin’s designated kid but also launch a few kicks. Every sloppy unanchored kick missed its target and instead landed on Jimin’s knee and then his thigh - and then his nuts.  

Jimin howled and covered his crotch, letting go of the big bulky uncoordinated eight grader. The smaller kid still lurched towards the bigger one. With one hand holding his nuts and another hand trying to stop the kid’s bleeding nose, Jimin once again proclaimed his hatred for middle schoolers. 

Jeongguk finally got a handle on all three of them. He held them apart and threatened each of them with suspension. The three kids swore at each other, completely disrespecting both Jimin and Jeongguk’s presence. After what seemed like forever, the school resource officer finally showed up to assist with containing the brawl. Jeongguk handed all of the kids over to the resource officer who marched them straight to Principal Han’s office. 

Jeongguk had spent so much time wrestling his designated kid from the ground that he didn’t even realize that Jimin was covered in blood until after he cleared all of the onlookers from the hallway. 

“Shit! Jimin, you're bleeding. And your face is beet red. Did you get slugged? Do you need a doctor?” Jeongguk asked, eyes large with worry.

Jimin still had his hand cupping his balls. He leaned against the row of lockers not far from where he had belly flopped on vomit three months earlier.

“Not my blood,” he grunted through the pain of his swollen balls. “the fucking kid on the ground got a punch in and he hit the other kid.” He breathed heavily as he waited for his nut pain to subside. “He bled all over my shirt. This fucking shirt was expensive,” Jimin swore through his teeth. 

“Why are you leaning over like that?” Jeongguk was still confused.

“Because after we got the two buffoons off of the big kid, he started swinging and kicking. Landed a kick right in my nuts. What kind of gorillas raised these children,” Jimin grunted again.

“Hyenas. These are hyena children. Gorilla children are raised with discipline, very classy, very mindful, very demure. Only hyenas raise kids like these,” Jeongguk explained seriously. 

“This is what happens when you try to educate a bunch of rich kids who’ve never been given boundaries or held accountable for their behavior.” Jimin was seething, mostly because his balls hurt.

Jeongguk helped him walk. He was a bloody mess and there was no way he could go back to the classroom in that state.

“I have a shirt you can borrow if you need it.”

Jimin smiled, “Thanks but I’m ok. I learned my lesson. I now keep a change of clothes in my car.”

“Fuck!” Jeongguk suddenly swore. He turned around in circles, looking all around the hallway.

“Ok now what?” Jimin asked reluctantly.

“These little rich assholes stole our lunch…,”

“What?” Jimin kicked the locker closest to him.

In summary, the teacher’s had succeeded in breaking up the fight but Jimin was bloodied, and ball-raked in the process. And to tie it all into one miserable little shit bow - their lunches were gone.

***

 

The local bar was aptly named the Hard and Heavy Metal Pub, the most popular bar in Busan. With its dark mahogany walls, hard wood floors, litany of top shelf liquors, blaring music and friendly staff, it was a well known hang out for teachers at the Hagwan. The pungent odor of hops could be smelled as soon as they approached the wrap-around bar. Each of the padded bar stools was covered in soft green leather, appropois for long nights of drinking and sports watching.

 Jeongguk climbed onto the bar stool and gave a friendly, albeit anxious, smile to the bartender. Jimin stood behind him staring up at the soccer game that was playing on the eighty-inch television on the wall. Jimin did his best to make their interaction friendly. Even going so far as to leave an empty barstool between as they settled in at the bar. With Jeongguk fresh off of a break-up, Jimin didn’t want to come across as a predator, ready to pounce on a man who was still reeling from a nasty relationship. In the purest sense, the elder just wanted a friend; to have one and to be one.

They slowly worked their way into conversation by talking about their families and their mutual love of football As well as their mutual hatred for the Academy. A few glasses of wine turned into a few bottles of wine before they moved on to very potent Stout beers.

Jimin dove right in, sharing the thoughts that had plagued him since the start of the school year, “I think I made a mistake. I don’t know if I belong here - teaching,” he admitted. 

Jeongguk balked, “Nonsense. You’re an incredible teacher. You love your students and they love you. I think we’re just suffering from burnout. It happens, even to teachers who are new to the job. So much bullshit that we’ve endured from the administration. We don’t get the support we need and I think that’s why you feel this way…shit why we both feel this way. If I’m honest, I question my choice to teach sometimes too. It happens. But I think we’re both right where we belong.”

“I love my students. I really do. You’re right about that part. But I just don’t know if I have it in me to do this long term. I think I want to teach older students. They seem to have more control of their body fluids.”

Jeongguk tilted his head back and laughed. Jimin found himself staring into his mouth, counting his beautiful teeth, and admiring the rich texture of his tongue.  Jeongguk leaned in and rested his hand on Jimin’s knee. Jimin glanced down at the man’s large hands and strong fingers. He remained perfectly still, praying that the hand would remain there for as long as possible. 

“Older students have their advantages. But the young kids need us. They need strong male role models at that early age. The question becomes, are we at the right school? I accepted this position because of the pay. Now I’m wondering if it was worth it.” Jeongguk ordered a dark merlot. He swirled it around the glass before sipping it delicately. 

“We’re never going to thrive at this school. Too many politics. Too many agendas. I truly believe Principal Han hates male teachers and doesn’t think we belong in the classroom.”

“She’s had it out for us since the beginning. I reported her. I also filed an appeal over her suspending me without pay for the time that I was out. She makes up the fucking rules as she goes. It’s inane.”

“That suspension was total bullshit. If you need me to testify or make a statement, I will. I’ll support you however I can,” Jimin assured him. He glanced down quickly to see that Jeongguk’s hand was still on his knee.

A few moments passed in silence with both men alternating between glances at the television and glances at each other. They were comfortable, relaxed. Two hours in and the night was going well. However, Jimin knew that if they were going to continue enjoying their time, he needed to address the awkward situation from a few days prior.

He blurted it out with full honesty, “I wasn’t eavesdropping that time I-I overheard you and Yu-jon.”

Jeongguk raised his hand in a stop gesture, “Jimin, it’s ok…,”

“No. It isn’t. Please let me finish. I saw Yu-jon and I was immediately concerned. I could hear you two arguing across the playground. I was curious, but mostly worried. I want you to know that I didn’t actually hear anything. Just loud voices. I would never…,”

“Jimin…it’s ok. We were making a public spectacle in front of children. You had every right to be concerned.”

“But I wasn’t concerned about that,” Jimin found Jeongguk’s large brown eyes and spoke clearly, “I was concerned about you.” 

“Me? You were worried about me?”

“Very much so. I care about you. I’m invested in your well being, especially since I played a role in making this situation what it is.”

“Please let that go. You know that I don’t blame you for any of this. Listen to me, the reason I agreed to finally have drinks with you is because you offered to listen without judgement and be my shoulder to cry on. Well, sometimes I really do feel like crying and I could use a sturdy shoulder. Tonight was one of those nights.”

Jimin could see a hint of moisture in Jeongguk’s eyes. Tears no doubt. “Are you two getting back together?” Jimin asked timidly. He tapped two fingers on the bar, signaling a request for two more beers which were both delivered within seconds.

“Of course not. It’s over between us. And even if that door was still open, he definitely closed it this morning.”

“Oh. Well good for you for staying strong. I probably don’t have a right to say this, but I don’t trust him. Especially after what you told me about him.” Jimin swirled the foam of his beer with his index finger.

“You have just as much of a right as anyone. After all, you were at the scene of the crime when it all happened.” Jeongguk sipped on his beer as he glanced around the crowded bar.

“Just say it,” Jimin found Jeongguk’s eyes and rested his hand on top of Jeongguk’s hand that still rested on his knee.

“Say what?”

“Whatever it is that has you close to tears. You aren’t over him are you?” Jimin asked.

“It’s not that. I don’t love him, but I’m angry with myself for blaming myself and for taking so long to see the light. I’m over him - don’t worry. And he’s definitely over me. In fact he’s already dating someone else.”

“How is that even possible? It’s only been a few months. He found someone else already?”

“Yea. And I think that’s the part that hurts. He didn’t even give our relationship a mourning period. I’m internalizing it and making it all about my inability to keep him satisfied. I wonder if he really ever loved me. I just feel so stupid. Three months since we broke up and he’s already fucking someone else. Claims to be in love too. That’s the best part,” Jeongguk shook his head in disgust, “Sometimes he made me feel so worthless.  He made me think that everything that happened bad between us was my fault. He even blamed me for him having an affair. I should be relieved that he’s gone, but his fucking mind games left me feeling that I caused all of this, when I know that I didn’t.  How did he move on so fast? Am I so forgettable that he was able to move on that fast?”

“Oh Jeongguk, no, no you mustn’t think that. You’re not forgettable at all, in fact you’re quite the opposite. I’ll never forget the day I first laid eyes on you. Remember the teacher orientation over the summer? You walked in with those ratty jeans and fitted black t-shirt. Your hair was damp with sweat and you used the tail of your t-shirt to wipe your forehead. Your smile lit up the entire room. I almost forgot my own fucking name, you were so stunning. It was so hot that day, yet you felt like a cool summer breeze. Like you were fresh off of a college campus. I remember…,” Jimin caught himself. He sounded like a teenager with a crush. He pulled his glass to his lips to drink more beer. It was the quickest way to make himself stop talking. The flushed skin in his cheeks was partially hidden behind the large frosted mug. 

“Wow,” Jeongguk released a sultry laugh that made Jimin’s heart flutter, “I didn’t realize you were so uhh…observant.” 

“My point is…you are not at all forgettable. His moving on has everything to do with his whorish tendencies and nothing to do with you and how incredible you were as a boyfriend. That asshole has no idea what he’s lost. I would give anything to have a man like you...” Jimin grimaced. “Fuck,” he whispered under his breath. Why couldn’t he keep his affinity for his co-worker contained? Every time he opened his mouth, his lustful thoughts came pouring out. The liquor didn’t help. 

“Don’t be shy, speak your mind,” Jeongguk tightened his grip on Jimin’s knee.

“Look, I’m not here to degrade your ex. Sometimes, people don’t realize what they’ve got until it’s gone. I’ve been there, made my share of mistakes and lost some really good guys because of it. I’ve learned my lesson and learned to recognize an incredible man when I see one. You’re incredible.”

Jeongguk had never been referred to as “incredible” before. He hid his face behind his hands and smiled. “Thank you,” he mumbled humbly. “You seem to always have the right words that make me feel better.”

Jimin could feel the chemistry between them. The walls were down and both were at their most vulnerable. He handled it with as much grace as possible, “Why did he come to the school? What could he possibly have wanted?” Jimin leaned in closer. He could see that Jeongguk was visibly shaken by all of the Yu-jon talk. He treaded lightly, but needed to understand the full story…

 

The Hard and Heavy Metal Pub wasn’t just popular amongst teachers. It was a gathering place for many young professionals who worked in the area and that included the clan from Mindshare, the company where Yu-jon served as the Director of Marketing. In his haste to find a place for their conversation, Jeongguk had completely forgotten that Yu-jon and his team visited the bar once a month for their team socials. And Mindshare’s team social just so happened to be scheduled for the night that he and Jimin were there for drinks. 

Jeongguk was so engrossed in his conversation with Jimin, that he didn’t even realize that his ex had walked through the door with his team of employees. As he continued to pour his heart out to Jimin, oftentimes smiling to keep from crying, he leaned in close to him so they could hear each other over the growing crowd of patrons at the bar. It was just Jeongguk’s luck that Yu-jon spotted them right away. 

He attacked, “Well what do we have here? You always want to play so innocent and swear that you’ve done nothing wrong. Once again, I’ve caught you in a lie. You have the nerve to be all cuddled up with him in public. Tell me again how you’re just friends and not fucking?”

Both men snapped their heads up and glared at Yu-jon. Jimin was a mild mannered man, but something just came over him. The false accusations, the hatred he had in the pit of his stomach for Yu-jon, Jeongguk’s painful tears, the fact that Yu-jon already had another lover, and the fact that he was a cowardly, morally corrupt snake - all of it made Jimin snap. He hopped up from his bar stool and stood unflinching in Yu-jon’s face. 

“You have some nerve, coming in here and accusing him of being a liar. He has never lied, unlike you, you gutless snake,” Jimin’s words were short and vitriolic. He was ready to fight. Very unlike his soft first grade teacher personna. 

Yu-jon scoffed, “Letting your new boyfriend protect you? You’re a fucking joke and so is he.”

Jimin balled his hand into a fist. He took several breaths to calm himself. He hated that man, for no other reason than how he had treated Jeongguk. Jimin knew all too well the type of man Yu-jon was  inside. He was dangerous, destructive and dead set on ruining Jeongguk’s life. Jimin wanted with all of his heart to punch him right in the mouth. 

Jeongguk stood to his feet. He was quite a bit taller than Jimin, but still paled in size compared to Yu-jon. He stood chest to chest with his ex, “Such a display of jealousy from someone who is already fucking someone new. You can dish it out, but you can’t take it. Yes, Yu-jon, I’m dating him now. And yes…he’s better looking than you, stronger than you, and much better endowed…than you,” Jeongguk said just to be spiteful.

Jimin’s jaw dropped. The words that came out of Jeonggukk’s mouth made him gasp. His eyes bulged and he stared back and forth between Jeongguk and Yu-jon. Jeongguk craftily stood between them to keep them separated. Even he knew that Jimin was on the verge of beating Yu-jon’s ass. Jimin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jeongguk claimed him as his lover even though they had never so much as held hands. It was a fascinating turn of events. 

“I knew it. I knew there was something going on between you two. And to think, I almost came crawling back to you,” there was pain in Yu-jon’s eyes. For the first time, Jeongguk had the upper hand. He knew exactly how to hit him where it hurt. 

Jimin felt Jeongguk’s hand around his waist. The younger glanced at him. His eyes begged him to play along. He strained his neck and bit his lip, anxiously waiting for Jimin’s response.

“You’re the dumbass who let him go. Don’t be surprised that a man this beautiful found someone better than your cheating ass,” Jimin quipped. 

Jeongguk buried the dagger even deeper, “Oh and about your selfish request for the cabin; my answer is no. I’ve already invited Jimin to spend the week with me at the cabin. Since I paid for it and I booked it, it belongs to me. You and your new conquest, can find somewhere else to vacation.” Jeongguk held Jimin’s hand and leaned over to whisper into his ear. “Just play along,” he said.

Jimin played along, “I’m so excited. I’ve already started packing. I’m going to rail you against the wall as soon as we get there,” Jimin playfully nibbled on Jeongguk’s ear and down the side of his face. He could feel the softness of Jeongguk’s skin and taste the trail of beer foam that had dribbled down his cheek. He continued to cuddle with him just to piss off Yu-jon.

“You’re taking him on our vacation?” Yu-jon screamed. 

“My vacation. Remember, you promised to pay your half and never did,” Jeongguk said savagely.

Yu-jon was wrought with anger and hurt, even though he tried to hide it. “Good riddance. Thank God I found a real man so that I don’t have to deal with your bullshit anymore.” Yu-jon turned and headed towards the door. Without saying a word to his team, he fled into the cool fall evening.

 

Before Yu-jon was even through the door, Jeongguk was already doubled over in laughter. He was elated with he and Jimin’s little performance.

“Was I just used as revenge bait?” Jimin said, not quite sure of how to process what had just happened.

“You sure were. The best revenge bait ever! You were so good. Thank you for playing along.” Jeongguk gave Jimin a big bulky bear hug. You have no idea how good it felt to really get back at him and hit him where it hurt,” Jeongguk was still smiling. His smile was brighter than Jimin had seen in months. He was truly happy.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what cabin?”

“Sit down, I’ll explain,” Jeongguk ordered another round of drinks. Once again he placed his hand on Jimin’s leg, but this time it was closer to his crotch. “First, let me apologize. It wasn’t fair for me to put you in that situation and it was nasty business. I didn’t mean to involve you. It’s just that…I’m so tired of the accusations. Whenever he’s doing something wrong, it automatically gets redirected at me, as if I’m the one at fault. He’s intimidated by you and probably a bit jealous. I used you and I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for it to go that way, but I just couldn’t resist twisting the knife. Did you see his face when he saw us huddled together? It was priceless!” Jeongguk laughed again. 

“I saw his face. I wanted to put my fist through it. Thank goodness you calmed the situation. But why would Yu-jon be jealous of me? I don’t understand that part.”

“You said that I could be truthful and you wouldn’t judge me. Did you mean that?”

“Of course I did. You can tell me anything. I have no right to judge.”

“I like you. From the day we met, I’ve always thought you were kind, intelligent, funny. The fact that you’re incredibly handsome doesn’t hurt either. Sometimes I would talk about you. It was just small talk, about my day. Like if you and I met up in the lounge or worked on a lesson plan together, I would tell him about it. Yu-jon didn’t like it. He accused me of lusting after you. I never gave him that impression at all, and it was all in his head. It got so bad that he would blow up whenever I even mentioned your name.”

“So that’s why he went ballistic when he found me in your apartment? Now it all makes so much sense,” Jimin gulped down his entire mug of beer. Jeongguk’s information was mind blowing. 

Jeongguk continued, “That’s why you were the perfect person to really get under his skin. That bit about railing me against the wall was perfection. He used to love to fuck me against the wall. Now he thinks that someone else is doing it. I bet he’s peeling off his face right now.” Jeongguk continued laughing. 

“You really are over him, aren’t you?” Jimin realized that Jeongguk meant it when he said he was over Yu-jon. He wouldn’t have lashed out so viciously otherwise.  

“I’m so fucking over him. But I’m also petty. I’m tired of him always winning. I just….ugh…I just wanted him to feel one iota of the hurt he caused me.”

“I think you succeeded.”

“And it was glorious,” Jeongguk gulped down more beer and requested another. “Again, I’m sorry to involve you. I really am. From now on, I’ll ask for your consent before dragging you into my shenanigans. Deal?”

“Deal. I was happy to do it if it meant a little sweet revenge. And the cabin? You keep skipping that part.”

“For our anniversary. I booked it a year ago. One week at the secluded Ananti cabin in the mountains. He promised to pay half, and he would have, eventually. He makes a considerable amount more than I do, so money has never been an issue between us. But that morning a few days ago, when he showed up at the school, he tried to “negotiate” his use of the cabin. He wanted it for the full week for him and his new boyfriend. He even tried to pay me for it. That was a cabin that I booked. ME! I planned everything. And he wanted to take it and use it for his new boyfriend. Oh Jimin, I wanted to kill him. If you and the kids hadn’t distracted me, I may have actually started a fight right there on the playground. That’s how angry I was. I knew my answer was no. There was no way I was going to allow him to fuck another man in the cabin that I booked for our anniversary. But I told him that I would think about it, just to make him go away.”

“I don’t blame you for not allowing him to have it. I would have done the same thing. I’m happy for you. Somehow I feel like it was a victory for both of us. The look on his face will make me smile for weeks to come. He deserved it. No offense but your ex is a jerk, a dangerous jerk.”

“Seeing him tonight made me question what I ever saw in him.”

“After tonight, I think you can officially say he’s gone for good. How do you feel?” Jimin asked.

“I feel like I wasted the last three years of my life. There are so many other men out there. Good men, who deserve everything that I have to offer. Men like you…,” Jeongguk leaned in and gave Jimin a hug.

***

Jeongguk was the scout. He tiptoed quietly down the hallway, eyes sharp, ears open, listening for any sound of the enemy. With his Hello Kitty lunch box gripped tightly in his large hand, he waited. Signaling for Jimin to advance, he pressed his back against the locker in wait. As Jimin moved forward, he was startled by the sudden ringing of the lunch bell. 

“Stay calm soldier, the war is just beginning,” Jeongguk teased.

Jimin crept alongside him. They held their position until the hallway ahead was clear. Middle Schoolers…the enemy. The untamed. The Devil's spawn. They were to be avoided at all costs. Crossing the middle school hallway to get to the teacher’s lounge was the equivalent of going into combat. Rarely did they emerge unscathed. All was quiet. For the first time in several months, they made it to the teacher’s lounge without some horrific middle school encounter along their route. 

They were pleased. They gave each other high-fives as they unpacked their lunchboxes in preparation for warming their food. The teacher’s lounge was the only space for teachers and administrators. The lower school had a small closet size room with coffee and a mini-fridge, but no real accommodations for the lower school teachers. This was it, the middle school teacher’s lounge was the only place where teachers could congregate to warm their lunches and sit at tables like proper adults. 

As usual, it was packed. With autumn in full swing, most of the lunch dates had been driven inside. There were only seven tables and most of them were full. While Jeongguk grabbed two microwaves to warm the food, Jimin looked around for a place to sit. 

He found a table in the far corner where three of the middle school teachers were already seated. 

“Room for two more?” Jimin smiled. His face was full of color. His smile was bright and cheerful. He was the antithesis of the crowd around him. His presence was like introducing techni-color to a black and white univision world. 

“Be our guest,” the teachers smiled. “You can always tell when the lower school teachers are around. They’re always so bright and cheery, full of hope for the future,” they laughed 

Jimin smiled politely, not sure if he understood the joke. All of the faces looked familiar. He’d undoubtedly seen all of them before. But he knew none of their names by memory, so he reintroduced himself. They chatted politely as they reacquainted themselves. He looked around at the teacher’s who sat at the table. Their faces were grey, sucken, reminiscent of patients in a mental ward. The children had taken everything from them, drained them of their energy, hopes and dreams. His dire interpretation of them was overly dramatic; congruent with his bleak outlook on middle school. He would gladly take the sweet innocence of first graders over pubescent teens any day. It was true, middle school was the most difficult grade to teach. The children were mini adults without the cognitive reasoning of actual adults. Between puberty, growth spurts, chronic social media, sexual curiosity, and bullying, they were a collective mess. Jimin didn’t envy any of the teachers who had to deal with them. 

Jeongguk arrived. He had steaming bowls of ramen for both he and Jimin. As he stood there, Jimin found himself staring at him. The more he got to know him, the more attractive Jeongguk seemed. The days since their encounter with Yu-Jon had only brought them closer as friends. Where they historically only met for lunch once or twice a quarter, they were now dedicated to having lunch together every day.

The growing bond between them left Jimin in a vulnerable position. He liked him. He really, really liked him. The crush that he had long denied was no longer deniable. He wasn’t sure if Jeongguk felt the same, so he kept his feelings safely locked away.

“Careful, these microwaves get really hot,” Jeongguk smiled gorgeously as he sat Jimin’s bowl down in front of him.”

“Thanks. These are my new friends. Han, Lila, and Sanwoo. They teach eighth grade.”

“Oh what a joy,” Jeongguk bowed to them as he sat down.

The time passed quickly as the five teachers chatted about life at the Academy. There were only ten minutes remaining before the end of the lunch period. Jimin and Jeongguk packed up their things and headed back towards the lower school building. They were almost back to their building when Jimin heard his name being called.

“Mr. Jeon. Mr. Jeon, I don’t feel so well. Do you know where the nurse is?” It was one of Jeongguk’s former students. He had instructed her during his student teaching internship. He had known her since she was in fourth grade. She was one of the few students he knew well in middle school. 

He gave her a polite hug, “Mina! Hello. I haven’t seen you in a while. You’re not feeling well?”

“Not at all,” Mina advised. 

She was a tall girl, almost as tall as Jimin. An eighth grader who should have been lined up for the end of lunch but was instead floating through the hallway looking for the nurse. Jimin didn’t like the way she looked. Her color wasn’t right and she seemed weak. Definitely sick. She was susceptible to barfing at any moment, so he kept his distance. His four week streak free of children’s body fluids was well intact and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Do you know where the nurse has gone?” Mina asked.

“She’s probably on lunch, Mina. If you head over to her office, you can wait outside. The bell is about to ring. You better get moving. Here, I’ll write you a note so you can get past the hall monitors.” Jeongguk searched his shirt pocket and pulled out a pad full of hall passes. He patted his pockets looking for a pen. “Uh, Jimin, do you have a pen I could borrow?”

“Yea, sure.” No sooner than Jimin stepped forward, Mina unleashed a gargantuan, spit filled sneeze that landed all over Jimin’s face. 

Legend has it that the gates of hell swung open as Jimin released a string of abbreviated profanities. He couldn’t say any of the words in full because no matter how upset he was, he couldn’t curse at a student. But he was not pleased. He gagged and immediately began wiping the remnants of sneeze juice from his face. 

“Oh GOD. OH GOD! NO! This is not happening,” he yelled as he desperately wiped his face.

“OH MY GOD!” Jeongguk’s eyes widened. “Calm down, oh Jimin.”

“Sorry,” Mina said as she grimaced and wiped her mouth. “Told you I didn’t feel well.”

“Stay calm, stay calm…,” Jeongguk searched his back pocket for a packet of disinfectant wipes that he always kept with him for emergencies.

“CALM! HOW CAN I STAY CALM? She just sprayed me with the bubonic plague.”

“I seriously doubt she has that,” Jeongguk tore open his disinfectant wipes and began to vigorously wipe Jimin’s face. 

“I hate this. I hate this. This is my last day here, Jeongguk. You know why? Because I quit. I QUIT!”

“Mina, get to the nurse. If you get stopped, tell them I gave you permission.” Jeongguk continued to try to clean all of the wet from Jimin’s face. He felt terrible. And if Mina really was sick, she had just spread everything she had to Jimin and possibly Jeongguk as well. 

Jimin continued to fuss. He held his face as still as possible hoping that Jeongguk’s wipes could save him from Mina’s cataclysmic cooties.

“Mr. Jeon. Mr. Park. What’s going on here? Why aren’t you two in your classrooms? Who’s with your students?” It was Principal Han. She was on the warpath. 

In the midst of the fiasco with Mina, the ending lunch bell had rang. Jeongguk and Jimin were both out of place. They should have been in their classrooms and there was no one watching either class. Jeongguk awkwardly shoved the spit-covered wipes into his pocket as he turned to Principal Han to try to explain.

“We were over here to warm our lunches. We ran into Mina. She’s sick and she was looking for the nurse. We were just helping her. We’re on our way back to class right now.”

“Suspension without pay for both of you. Now get to your classes. Those children are unsupervised. You will be written up for this!” Principal Han lectured. It was as if her dreams had come true. She had caught the two in a violation so egregious, that she could suspend them for good, per her own manufactured rules. “Your jobs are in peril. Relationships between teachers is strictly forbidden…,”

“...RELATIONSHIP?” Jeongguk yelled over her, “I was wiping the spit off of his face after a student sneezed on him. How is that a relationship? Besides, there is no rule anywhere in our ethics and standards guide that says teachers can’t date. You’re making this up.”

“I will be the judge of that. Mark my words, I will do a full investigation and speak with every teacher in this school to find out what is really going on between you two. Every day, I find you huddled up, sharing secrets and acting inappropriately towards one another. I’m no fool,” Principal Han threw around baseless accusations.

“Fine with me, I fucking quit anyway,” Jimin said spitefully.

“No, you do not quit,” Jeongguk hushed him, “Principal Han, be reasonable. We were helping a student.”

“What student! I don’t see any student. All I see is two teachers being wholly inappropriate with your hands all over each other. GET TO CLASS!”

“You can’t talk to us like we are children!” Jeongguk yelled again.

“Keep your fucking students. You can have them. Especially these middle school creatures,” Jimin was seconds from walking out of the door and never coming back. He was just that angry.

“Foul language, insubordination. Failure to follow procedure. Failure to follow direct orders from a superior. You’ll be lucky to keep your jobs. Get back to your students. Effective tomorrow, you will begin a five day suspension without pay. Now that’s final!”

“You can’t do that!” For the first time ever, Jeongguk showed terrifying anger. He glared at Principal Han. “I have worked my ass off to get this job. You’ve had it out for both of us since the day we started. You want to file a complaint with the board, then go right ahead lady. Because we’ll be filing one as well. The way you have treated us has been biased, sexists and unjust. NO MORE! We’ll take your suspension, but there is no way we’re going down without a fight.” He grabbed Jimin by the hand and pulled him, “You’re not quitting. You’re not going to allow her to force you out. Let’s get back to class.”

Principal Han marched towards the teacher’s lounge in search of another teacher to terrorize.

Jimin rationalized his quitting, “Technically I kind of hate this place. That’s why I’m quitting. Can I go ahead and just let her fire me?”

“NO!” Jeongguk yelled once they were out of earshot of the Principal. “If you let her fire you, it will go on your permanent record and you’ll never be able to get another teaching job again.”

“I cannot handle any more body fluids Jeongguk. I just can’t!”

The two of them were having two different conversations because as Jeongguk droned on about justice and equality, Jimin waxed poetic about vomit and cootie spit. They both talked over each other as they marched back to their classrooms. 

“What if it’s tuberculosis, or measles, mumps or rubella?”

Jeongguk slowed to a stop, “Would you please stop it? You’re immunized for that, remember? Besides, I hugged her. She didn’t even have a fever. At most it’s probably just a nasty cold. We have bigger problems. Delores is setting us up. We can either lay down and take it or we can fight.”

“I don’t want this anymore, Jeongguk. I don’t want this job. The constant harassment from Delores Umbridge. The disrespect. The lack of microwaves. This is not what I signed up for. I can’t do this. Now we have to fight just to keep our jobs when we’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t want it. It's not worth it,” Jimin said sadly. He was still wiping at his face to clear it of Mina’s spit.

“Come here,” Jeongguk found another disinfectant wipe. “May I?” He asked for permission to touch him. Jimin nodded. Jeongguk cleaned Jimin’s face again. “Wait for me after class, ok? I need to talk to you, it’s important. In the meantime, don’t quit. If you do, I’ll find you and have Mina sneeze on you again.”

His laugh made Jimin’s heart stop. He closed his eyes as he felt Jeongguk’s strong hands press gently across his face. 

“I guess I can wait until tomorrow to officially quit,” Jimin teased.

***

 

Despite several unwelcomed visits from Principal Han, the two made it through the remainder of the day without confronting her. During the last hour of class they were both served with official paperwork advising them of their suspensions without pay. There was also a hearing scheduled for a later date where the two would have to go before the board and explain themselves. Principal Han was true to her word. She saw a chance to get them out and she took it. 

The dismissal bell finally rang. The two embattled teachers met in the parking lot after dropping their classes off at the carpool line. Jimin leaned against his Hyundai Palisade as he watched Jeongguk approach him. Jeongguk looked stressed, upset, but determined. Jimin was anxious to hear what he wanted to talk about.

“Remember that new teacher burnout we talked about a few weeks ago?”

“Yea,” Jimin laughed.

“I think we’ve crossed that line. As of today we are officially on leave without pay, thanks to Principal Han. Jimin, I think this is a sign.”

“What kind of sign?” Jimin questioned.

“A sign that we need a break. You almost walked out on seventeen first graders. You know how much you love your students and you would have never forgiven yourself for that. And I well…I almost said some really profane things to a senior board member that would have surely gotten me arrested and fired on the spot. We can’t go on like this. We need a respite. A break. Burnout is real Jimin.”

“Ok. Fine. So we accept the suspension and just move on?”

“Yes. But there’s more to it. I have an idea.”

“An idea?”

“I still have that cabin…you know, the one that I booked for me and Yu-jon’s anniversary. I tried to call a few weeks ago to cancel it, but it was too late. So I was planning on keeping it and going alone. As luck would have it, it’s available immediately for the next week. I know that I gave you a fake invitation before just to irritate Yu-jon, but what if you really came with me? Everything is all paid for. We’ll go half on food and gas. Let’s take some time to get away, recharge and just have fun. Seven full days of hayrides, fine wine, pumpkins and apples. Come with me.”

“Wait, you want me to go on vacation with you?”

“Yes. Might as well. You’ve got nothing else to do. Besides, if I leave you here alone you’ll surely spend your time plotting against the entire middle school.”

“You know me so well,” Jimin laughed. 

“So is that a yes? You’ll go?”

“This is kind of sudden. Are you sure about this? I mean…we’re friends, but this seems to toe the line between friends and something else,” Jimin said shakily.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say…when this trip was planned it was for a couple. We are not that. So how is this going to work?”

Jeongguk smiled, “Two bedrooms. Two beds. Two bathrooms. Two friends and coworkers sharing expenses for a mutually beneficial trip. Simple. Platonic friends,” Jeongguk stressed again. “I have no hidden motives.”

“I’ve heard of those cabins, it’s pretty nice up there. I’ve always wanted to go.” Jimin stared towards the ground. He didn’t want Jeongguk to know how captivated he was by the invitation. “Must have cost you two month’s salary to afford a full week.”

“Three months. So…is that a yes?” Jeongguk pressed again.

Jimin gave it some thought, he avoided Jeongguk’s searing glare out of fear of appearing love struck, “It’s a yes.”

Jeongguk clapped his hands together, “Perfect. We leave tomorrow around 11:00 am. It’s a three hour drive from here up the coast. I’ll drive. Should be a really fun time,” Jeongguk said happily.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t take separate cars in case one of us needs to escape?” Jimin was apprehensive. This was a bold step forward in their friendship.

“Have a little faith. We vibe, Jimin. There won’t be any escape plans required.”

“Thank you for inviting me. I’ve never really done anything this spontaneous before. We’re definitely taking a risk. I mean this could go bad and we could end up hating it.”

Jeongguk moved closer to Jimin. He brushed his hair lightly and looked into his eyes, “Yea, that could happen. We could absolutely hate it. But we could also...love it.”

***

Chapter Three - The Complexity

Jeongguk pulled up to the curb outside of Jimin’s apartment. Although the building was far from the school, it was conveniently located along the route they planned to travel to get to the cabin. He exited the car and stared up towards the third floor where he saw Jimin sitting in the window drinking a cup of tea. They gave each other a quick wave followed by a text. 

Jeongguk to Jimin: “You ready for a life changing experience 🙂?” 

Jimin to Jeongguk: “Life changing seems a bit aggressive but yea I’m all packed. Be down in a minute.”

By the time Jeongguk walked to the back of his truck and popped the trunk, Jimin was already downstairs. Jeongguk helped him with his bags. He immediately took note of Jimin’s sleek but stylish set of black luggage with the matching leather satchel. Nothing was in excess. Jimin was neatly organized and efficiently prepped for their week- long interlude. He moved quickly to avoid wasting time, exuding happiness, with springy steps of excitement. The brilliant smile that always warmed the hallways of the Academy suddenly warmed their little corner of the world as they packed the car. His mood was infectious, causing Jeongguk to immediately smile back. 

 

In Jeongguk’s opinion, Jimin always had an impeccable sense of style. Even on a teacher’s salary, he had that “it” factor that gave him the air of wealth. His natural beauty didn’t hurt either. In a room full of incredibly beautiful men, he always seemed to be the prettiest. It was never anything that he did purposely to stand out, it was just part of his construct. He knew how to make the most of what he had. 

Jimin’s presentation on this day was no exception. His dark hair was swept away from his face, with the wind gently lifting individual strands and sweeping them against his forehead. Baggy, oversized jeans clung to his hips, camouflaging what Jeongguk knew to be an impeccably chiseled body. The fuzzy cream colored sweater that Jimin was wearing made him look like a cuddly teddy bear. As such, Jeongguk immediately hugged him as soon as he reached the car. 

“Oop yep, so we’re hugging now?” Jimin laughed warmly into Jeongguk’s ear, as he eagerly returned the hug. 

“Oh, oh my God I’m sorry. I should have asked first instead of just assuming that you wanted me draped all over you.” Jeongguk pulled away, shy and uncertain. 

“I think you know by now that I’m quite fond of your hugs,” Jimin threw his luggage into the back compartment of Jeongguk’s Palisade. 

“Just the same. If we want to keep things from getting weird, we need to respect each other’s space and boundaries.”

“Yea no weirdness. Weirdness sucks,” Jimin’s laugh lit up the entire block.

Jeongguk bit his bottom lip, “I really want this trip to be special. We both need this time away. With that said, Jimin you look fabulous, may I have a hug?”

“Ah consent. Love it,” Jimin joked, “Yes Mr. Jeon you may have a hug.“

Once again they found themselves locked in a sweet embrace. Jimin gave Jeongguk a hard double tap on the back. He opened his satchel to reveal scores of colorful packages and juice boxes.

“I got snacks,” he smiled as he pulled the leather bag open to show Jeongguk his haul.

“Nice! I never thought to bring snacks. See, we’re already vibing.”

Jeongguk hopped into the driver’s seat, Jimin posted into the passenger’s seat. With one final nod, Jeongguk placed the car in park - and they were off. 

***

 

With the music blaring and Jeongguk’s SUV gliding along the winding road, they made their way up the mountain towards the cabin. The further up they traveled, the more the weather shifted. Layers of dew collected on the windshield as the temperature dropped. Despite it all, the bright sun casted golden rays across the mountainside. Jeongguk wasn’t sure which was brighter, the glow of the sun or the glow of Jimin’s smile. He settled on Jimin’s smile.

Jimin was the DJ responsible for music and navigation. At first he worried that his music choices might not be to Jeongguk’s taste. His concerns were soon buried as Jeongguk danced and sang to every single song that Jimin queued up. 

“Wow, you like Usher too?” Jeongguk asked.

“He’s my favorite artist. I have every album, every single.”

“He’s hot too…if you like that strong, muscular, super dancer type,” Jeongguk added.

“I do like that type,” Jimin winked.

“So, I don’t want to ruin the moment, but I do want to talk to you about something.”

“The only thing that could ruin this moment is Delores Umbridge, and I’m sure you don’t want to talk about her.”

“Actually I do. We have to fight this suspension. I mean, I know we accepted it just so that we could take this vacation but we can’t allow it to be added to our permanent record. I have a plan.”

“A plan? You really don’t know the words ‘give up’,  do you?”

“I don’t even know how to spell those words, so hear me out. We can easily talk to the nurse and get her to verify that we sent Mina to see her. We can even ask her to speak up on our behalf. We were telling the truth about why we were late to class. We were trying to help another student. I refuse to go down for trying to do the right thing.”

“I hear you Jeongguk. But is it really worth it? The more I think about this job, the more convinced I am that I need to transfer to a different school. This environment just isn’t for me.”

“Fine. Try to transfer…and see what they say when they find out that you were suspended for a week for improper conduct. Good luck trying to explain that. Don’t you see, having this blithe on our record could follow us for the rest of our careers and that’s exactly what Principal Han wants. She wants to see to it that we are pushed out of teaching for good. Transfer to another school, although I’ll miss you, I won’t try to stop you. But promise me that you’ll help me fight this first. Our futures could depend on it.”

“Yea, ok. If it’s important to you, then yea, I’ll stand beside you and we’ll fight. Somebody has to make that old unibrow hag pay for what she tried to do to us,” Jimin agreed.

***

It was early afternoon by the time they reached the cabin. Jeongguk pulled up to the front and parked near the front door. Jimin stepped out of the car and stared through the large picture windows. 

“Holy shit this place is gorgeous.” He scratched the back of his neck and shivered as the cool breeze flowed through the fibers of his sweater, “Pretty romantic. If I were in love, I would want to spend  all of my days here.” 

As Jeongguk gathered their luggage, Jimin walked around the front of the all white cottage with black trim. There were bushes and bushes of yellow daffodils and daisies sprouting up in the garden, decadently framing the entrance. Ferns hung from the rafters of the front porch and soft ivy climbed up the left side. He stepped towards the window to get a closer look.  Every light was on, creating a golden glow throughout the space that complimented the sinking sun. Jimin could see all the way to the back of the house where an elaborate brick fireplace held up the rear wall.

“Wow, oh wow.”

“Like it?” Jeongguk smiled, pleased with Jimin’s reaction.

“Like is not quite the right word. I can’t believe we’re going to be spending the next seven days here.”

“Thank you for coming. As you can imagine, it would have been pretty lonely coming here alone,” Jeongguk passed Jimin his suitcase. 

A forest of statuesque trees stood directly behind the house, leaning ever so slightly to align with the pitch of the mountain. Even in broad daylight, the area looked like a forbidden jungle, a place where people were not allowed. Yet from afar it contrasted beautifully against the glowing white house. Everything around them was quiet, with the exception of excitedly chirping birds. 

“I don’t know how to explain it…this place just feels…right,” Jimin remarked.

“I feel that way too. I felt it even through the pictures when I was booking it. I have a feeling that we’re going to have a really great time here.”

A soft breeze arrived causing them to turn and look at each other. At the exact same moment they looked back towards the house, wondering what mysticism and magic awaited them inside.

***

 

Jeongguk popped the heat up and started a fire. The temperature had dropped again, causing the room to be a little chilly. He sat on the floor in front of the fireplace and scrolled through his phone.

Jimin arrived, “Uhhh, I think we have a problem.”

Jeongguk looked up. For untold seconds he watched the glow of the fiery embers dance across Jimin’s face. He was reminded of just how handsome he was with his fresh clear skin and beautiful pink lips. 

“Now how could there possibly be a problem in a place as heavenly as this?” Jeongguk teased.

“The Airbnb host left your itinerary on my bed in my room. Looks like you have quite a few events planned that you forgot to cancel,” Jimin grimaced.

“Oh shit!” Jeongguk dropped his head and frowned. “I can’t believe I forgot to cancel all of the excursions.”

“Says here that you booked the ‘Bump and Grind honeymoon package’,” Jimin tried to hold his laughter. “And it includes a couple massage, a skinnydip in the salt fountain, a picnic for two at the apple orchard, a Paint and Sip class, and an erogenous zone stimulation class and a… hayride to the pumpkin patch where we will be served wine and a charcuterie board. Oh and by the way, that hayride starts in about one hour,” Jimin burst into laughter. Never had he seen a vacation so ‘let’s fuck’ coded in his entire life. “Seems like you had one thing in mind for this trip with you and Yu-jon.”

“I can explain,” Jeongguk blushed and focused his eyes on the fireplace.

“Don’t you dare explain. Jeongguk this is beautiful. You planned all of this for him? It’s the most thoughtful expression of love I’ve ever seen. You really, truly loved him didn’t you?”

“I did. But now I don’t. And knowing that I once loved him that much, makes me feel sick to my stomach. You were right when you said he never deserved me. He didn’t.”

“Nope. Not ever. Glad to see that we finally agree. Now that we have that out of the way, what are you going to do about these excursions? I don’t mean to probe, but your receipt is attached and I can’t help but see how much you paid. Since you can’t use any of this stuff, how can we get your money back?”

Jeongguk sat at the other end of the couch and faced Jimin. “We don’t have to cancel everything. Ok, maybe coworkers shouldn’t go skinny dipping together, but some of that other stuff could be great for two friends who are getting to know each other.”

“Oh yea? And what about the erogenous zone stimulation class? That seems a bit too…,”

“...yep, ok maybe we should skip that one too. But the rest, we should keep, including the hayride,” Jeongguk insisted. 

Jimin continued to watch the fire sparkle. The heat felt good to his face as it was quite chilly inside of the small house. He didn’t dare say what he was thinking for fear of Jeongguk judging him and being disappointed. But his truth was that he very much wanted to do those romantic things with his co-worker but he was terrified of developing feelings that would go unrequited. Jeongguk was like an aphrodisiac, the more of him he experienced, the more of him he wanted. He knew that Jeongguk was still healing from his break-up and he didn’t want to be seen as taking advantage of him. Yet the entire trip and the circumstances were presented to him so seamlessly and unexpectedly that he wondered if maybe destiny was at play. He tossed the decision back and forth in his mind, worried that if he accepted, they would be stepping into dangerous territory.

“Please say yes,” Jeongguk reiterated as he watched Jimin toy with the decision in his head. “Strictly platonic. This stuff is only romantic if you have feelings for each other.”

“And of course we have no feelings for each other,” Jimin nodded overly aggressively.

“Exactly. I even know friends who have skinny dipped together. It’s just like changing clothes in the locker room. Just bros. Nothing sexual.”

“Nothing sexual?” Jimin glanced down at the muscular frame of Jeongguk’s thighs beneath his jeans. He imagined seeing his bare luscious legs splashing through the water. His dick twitched just thinking about it. “And are you sure your friends who skinny dipped together weren’t trying to actually hook up?” Jimin laughed.

“Nevermind them. This is about us. We promised each other, no weirdness. So don’t make it weird.”

Jimin gave it more thought. “Yea, yea let’s do this. If we’re going on this hayride, I better wear a bigger coat, it’s cold out there.”

Jeongguk’s face lit into a large toothy grin. He slapped his knee, “That’s the spirit.”

***

 

The hayride consisted of a large flatbed being towed by a tractor. At first glance it seemed archaic. But that all changed as soon as they climbed inside. The flatbed was decorated like a tiny restaurant. Hay covered the bottom of the flatbed with small lamps placed strategically around the open space. There was seating for eight, with four small tables arranged for couples. Each table had a posh bottle of wine, a blanket and chocolate covered strawberries. The blankets were meant to be shared as were the wine and chocolates. The entire event was set up for people in love - or people who were trying to get laid.

Jimin and Jeongguk were the first to climb onboard. They sat a respectable distance away from each other as they watched the other three couples climb on. Each of them were holding hands and making kissy faces at each other. Jimin gulped. He stared straight ahead as the couple right next to them began to passionately kiss. 

“Uh Jeongguk, this is definitely going to test the strength of our friendship,” Jimin said as he sat at the table and ate a piece of chocolate.

Jeongguk also noticed how hot and horny the other couples were for each other. It was awkward to say the least, “We’ve got this. We’ll just talk about sports and work. Yes, work. There’s nothing romantic about work,” Jeongguk scooted a couple of inches further away from Jimin to emphasise the fact that they were just friends.

 

As the large pale moon rose overhead, the wooden wheels beneath the flatbed began to turn. There was a loud creak beneath them, followed by the low hum of the trailer engine. They moved slowly, but steadily, rolling over rocks and uneven patches of ground as they headed towards the pumpkin patch. 

It was cold. Jimin and Jeongguk both looked around for their respective blankets. But they were reminded that each couple had only been provided one heated blanket. In other words, if they wanted to bundle up for warmth within the blanket, they had to share.

“I-I guess we’re supposed to share this?” Jeongguk lifted the blanket and clicked up the heat on the blanket’s controller.

“Consent is always key. May I share the warmth of that filthy blanket with you?”

“You may,” Jeongguk played along. For the first time that evening, they sat close; close enough for them to share the moderately sized blanket and soak up its warmth.

Positioning was tough. There was absolutely no way to fully engulf themselves in the blanket without squeezing tightly together. In the end, Jimin realized that he had to place his arm around Jeongguk’s waist to pull him close enough for both of them to fit. So he proceeded to do just that, “May I…squeeze in a little closer?”

“You may. Otherwise we’ll freeze to death,” Jeongguk joked. 

Whatever chilly discomfort they felt initially, it quickly dissipated as their bodies melted one over the other. The slow rocking of the flatbed as they traveled into the cornfield, was soothing. The couples around them kissed at a regular cadence. The soft whispers and loud lip smacking added pressure, making them feel obligated to normalize their situation.

“I have a stack of papers to grade.”

“Same. I’m on the same track. We read 곰돌이 이야기 ‘The Story of the Teddy Bear’ and each of the kids had to write a few sentences as a summary,” Jeongguk nodded. 

Jimin could feel Jeongguk’s warm breath wisp across his neck each time he spoke. The scent of him was like an orange blossom, freshly peeled and opulent. He turned his head slightly inwards to smell more of him, all while melting in the low easy tone of his voice, “Nice story. Very well written and the kids seem to enjoy it.” 

 

Each breath that Jimin took made Jeongguk feel more at ease. What began as a cumbersome uncomfortable mess, transitioned into a comforting exchange with no weirdness at all. Just as Jeongguk predicted, their natural affinity towards each other prevailed, keeping them grounded and unscripted.  

The ride to the pumpkin patch was forty-five minutes, just enough time to allow the two teachers to share details about each other’s families and college lives. They learned new things which lightened the mood even more. No longer bothered by all of the smooching and flirting going on around them, they focused on each other, laughing and joking as they owned the moment. 

In the distance they could see a bright concert of lights at the top of the hill. Below it lay rows and rows of colorful pumpkins resting on large blue tarps. As part of their fee for entry, they were allowed to choose two pumpkins to take home to carve. That meant they had some shopping to do. 

Jimin climbed out of the flatbed first, he laughed as he watched Jeongguk pick hay from the rear of his jeans, “May I help?” Jimin offered.

“Yes, because this hay is sharp and it’s sticking me in the ass,” Jeongguk fussed.

Jimin delicately picked away the shards of hay that were embedded in Jeongguk’s pants. After several unnecessary feels along Jeongguk’s firm bottom, he advised, “I think we got it all. Come down,” Jimin extended his hand again.

Jeongguk grabbed Jimin’s hand sternly as if they were about to arm wrestle, and then used the assist to jump free of the flatbed. Their clasped hands lingered. Jimin could hear himself counting down the seconds in his head. ‘Don’t let go, don’t let go, don’t…let go,’ he wordlessly pleaded with Jeongguk as they turned to face the sea of pumpkins.

“How beautiful,” Jeongguk exclaimed as his eyes filled with the joy of a child. “There’s so many to choose from. Orange, or white or that green one that I’m sure is just a squash.”

Jimin stared down at the soft bundle of fleshy palms that clung together between them. “Huh?” 

“The pumpkins…we have to choose.”

“YES, yes we have to choose,” Jimin refocused.

The other couples sprinted towards the pumpkin patch, holding firmly to their glasses of pricey wine.

“I guess we can take our wine with us?” Jimin concluded.

“Pumpkin picking while drunk? I’m all in.” Jeongguk quickly climbed back into the flatbed and refilled their wine glasses. He gave one to Jimin and they headed into the patch to find pumpkins.

***

 

By the time the hayride headed back to base, Jimin and Jeongguk were on their third bottle of wine.  They sat cuddled together, each with a large pumpkin stowed between their legs. The slow drawl of the wagon and its creaky wooden wheels etched memories in their minds that would not soon be forgotten. The sound of each other breathing, the firm holds they had on each other’s bodies, the feel of the sharp hay prickling their skin, and the glow of the full moon; all of it was woven into the tapestry of one the most beautiful experiences they’d ever had. The jokes came naturally, the smiles even more so. They took turns glancing at each other as they reveled in deep conversation. 

Until the moment, the completely unconstructed moment, where they both glanced at each other at the exact same time. They froze. With eyes locked and their expressions stalled, the heat swirled between them in their small shared space. The glow of the moonlight carved a path along the outer cheeks of their faces, allowing them to clearly see each other’s attractive features. Each was hesitant to look away. 

The wine made them do it. Without consent, they leaned in. But just at the moment when they were about to say drunken words that they shouldn’t, the wagon came to a sudden jerking halt, dislodging them and pulling them apart. Jimin fell sideways and had to crawl back to get under the blanket. After a brief stop that only lasted a few seconds, the wagon crept to life again and continued down the mountain. 

Neither of them mentioned what had almost happened. Jeongguk played it safe by scrolling through his phone. Jimin looked straight ahead at the couple who appeared to be fucking on the other end of the flatbed. He focused on them. Watching hetero strangers have sex was much safer than accidently making heart eyes at the handsome man next to him. The man who was just supposed to be his pal.

***

 

“My pumpkin is bigger than yours,” Jeongguk teased as he watched Jimin sort through all of the drawers in the kitchen looking for a knife large enough to carve their fresh haul of pumpkins. 

He paused and turned to glare at Jeongguk, “Your pumpkin is bigger than mine, that’s true. But it’s not always about size is it? Sometimes it’s about the flourish, the skill and what you can do with it.”

Jeongguk wasn’t aware of how erotic his conversation was beginning to sound. The haze of intoxication still hovered over him, “For me, it’s always about size. Bigger is always better.” 

“So you’re saying that only big pumpkins can make you happy?”

“No, I’m saying that big pumpkins will always keep me on my knees begging for more, willing to do anything to keep it.”

“That is a level of brutal honesty that you’re probably going to regret sharing. I’m also one-hundred percent sure we’re no longer talking about pumpkins.”

 “You’re cute when you’re drunk,” Jeongguk said haphazardly.  

“And you’re cute every single fucking moment of your life. So there’s that.” Jimin tried to reel it in and refocus them, “We need a knife. Why are there no knives? What does it say in the guest book?”

Jeongguk picked up the guest book and flipped through the pages looking for instructions on kitchen supplies. He found exactly what they were looking for, “Ah, it says here that there are more kitchen supplies stored in the trunk in the back bedroom. I bet that’s where she keeps the larger knives.”

“That’s my bedroom. Grab your big pumpkin and let’s go.”

“This is kind of a strange place to keep extra kitchen supplies when they have so much space in the actual kitchen,” Jeongguk found the large trunk that was referenced in the guest book. There was a lock on the front, but it wasn’t fastened. He removed it and then pulled the heavy trunk open.

Jimin noticed the confused look on Jeongguk’s face as soon as the trunk popped open, “What is it? Something wrong?”

“What is all of this stuff?” He sorted through the first few layers of items until he finally located a wooden box that said ‘knives’ on the front. “Oh here they are. Why is it buried in this trunk?” Jeongguk pulled the box free and sat it on Jimin’s bed. But curiosity led him right back to the contents of the strange trunk they had discovered. 

Jimin, no longer interested in the pumpkins at all, glossed over the contents as well. There was so much of it, yet none of it was immediately recognizable until he discovered one peculiar item in the corner that he recognized as, “Handcuffs? Pink furry handcuffs? Why in the world do they have these?” Jimin laughed loudly as he picked up the handcuffs and examined them. 

Jeongguk laughed as well. “Oh, they’re so cute.”

“I wonder how they feel. They’re all fuzzy and soft, they can’t work like real handcuffs, can they?”

“Only one way to find out. Let’s experiment,” Jeongguk said boldly. He lifted his wrists for Jimin to put them on him.

Jimin was very aware that Jeongguk was still drunk. So before slapping a pair of pink handcuffs on him, Jimin stated the obvious, “You’ve been drinking. Are handcuffs really a good idea?”

“Is there a key?”

“Yea.” Jimin locked the empty cuffs closed and then used the key to reopen them, “and it works.”

“Then yes, let’s do it.”

“You sure you want to do this?” Jimin asked one final time.

“Stop being so serious. I just want to see how they feel. It won’t hurt me or anything,” Jeongguk reiterated. Now go on…you know what to do.”

Jimin knew exactly what to do, “May I cuff you?” He asked for consent.

“You may.”

Jimin closed both of the fuzzy pink bracelets around Jeongguk’s wrists and squeezed them tightly until he heard them click.

Jeongguk grinned from ear to ear. He twisted his arms around. “Oh they feel so nice. They’re actually comfortable. Who would use these? For what purpose?” Jeongguk was baffled. “Maybe if you don’t want to hurt someone while you’re arresting them?” He continued to twist his wrists within the fuzzy bracelets.

“Ok, that’s enough. Let me remove them please,” Jimin interjected.

“No. I want to keep them on. They’re adorable. What else is in that box?” He leaned over, movement restricted because of the handcuffs. 

Jimin reluctantly sorted through more of the contents. “What is all of this shit? Everything is so random: feathers, chords of velvet rope, more handcuffs, and what is this thing?” Jimin picked up an object that had a large folded piece of leather attached to a long handle. As with everything else in the box, it was pink. He slapped it against his hand, “Ouch shit that stings.”

“Oh dear God,” Jeongguk said faintly.

“What? Is it bad? What is it?”

“I think this is a…a…a kink box,” Jeongguk proclaimed with wide eyes.

“A what? Kink? What kind of kink?”

Jeongguk plunged both of his handcuffed hands into the box and began searching more vigorously. His suspicions were quickly validated when he pulled a ball gag from the bottom, along with more feathers, more rope and small wooden paddles. 

“It’s a bdsm collection,” Jeongguk said in a whisper. He looked around like a kid who had just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

“bdsm!” Jimin ducked as if a drone had just flown over his head. He concentrated his focus on all of the paraphernalia that he’d lined up on the bed. Suddenly it all made sense. Jeongguk was right. They had accidently stumbled upon the owner’s collection of bondage toys. “Ok, we’re taking the handcuffs off.” He searched for the key, “Oh God. I can’t believe we were playing around in this stuff. Hang on, I’ll get them off of you.”

“Yea, sure.” Jeongguk could sense Jimin’s discomfort. As much as he enjoyed the handcuffs, he realized that Jimin wanted no part of bdsm play, even  if it was accidental. He quietly acquiesced and held still so that Jimin could remove them. 

“Let’s close this up and pretend we never saw it,” Jimin laughed as he threw the fuzzy pink handcuffs back into the box. “And why is everything pink?”

“I kind of think pink is pretty. It’s one of my favorite colors. If I had a bondage sex kit, I would want  mine to be pink,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Wait a minute. Don’t tell me…you like this kind of stuff?” Jimin asked.

Jeongguk was direct, “I don’t know much about it. Yu-jon was always very vanilla with our sex life. He had a big dick…that’s as exotic as things got. My boyfriends before him never expressed any desire either. The only reason I know anything about it is because of that stupid fifty shades of grey bullshit that was popular when we were younger. But the concept does intrigue me a little.” Had Jeongguk been sober, he would not have been nearly as honest. He and Jimin were close friends, but not exactly close enough to reveal such honest and intimate thoughts. 

But to Jeongguk’s surprise, instead of Jimin being repulsed, he teed up more conversation. “What is it about bondage that feeds your interest? I mean…what exactly does it fulfill?”

Jeongguk blushed and then laughed, “How would I know? I told you, I’ve never done it. I just liked the way the cuffs felt around my wrists. They were warm and cuddly, like having a teddy bear locked around me. You act as if I’m some kind of hard Dom.”

“Hard Dom? No, you would never be a hard Dom…a soft one maybe…and definitely a Dom switch.”

“Ok, so I see that I’m not the only one who’s been curious in the past. Maybe I should be asking you about kink fulfillment,” Jeongguk winked.

“I wouldn’t go that far. I know a little…very little. And maybe I was a little curious when I was younger. But it never went any further than that. I’ve never been or done or…I mean…I don’t know much…I don’t know anything. Nothing…,” Jimin stumbled over his words.

“We have pumpkins to carve. We found our knives so let’s get started. I have a fabulous dinner planned. Then we can play a little Texas Hold Em’ before bed.” And just like that, the strange moment was over. Jeongguk headed for the kitchen, leaving Jimin there to stare at the box of sin in his bedroom.

***

 

Jeongguk was tired. By eleven that night, he was in bed. Jimin chose to stay up to grade a few papers. Before heading to bed, he turned down the lights and grabbed a bottle of water.  It was warm in the house because Jeongguk had the heat cranked all the way up to eighty-five. Jimin removed his shirt and chose to sleep topless for the evening. Wearing only his baggy sweatpants, he found his way to the back corner of the house where his room was located.

As he shuffled through the darkness, his foot lightly treaded over something on the ground. Closer inspection revealed that it was the pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs from earlier. The key was still lodged in the lock. 

“Thought I put these away,” he spoke quietly to himself. The instant his fingers touched them, his mind transported back to the moment where Jeongguk had them locked around his wrists. He could see him struggling, twisting around and around as the soft fabric circled his arm. Even in memory it was erotic, much more so than Jimin realized at the time. Maybe both of them were drawn to a little bondage play. Even so, it wasn’t anything that he could or would readily admit…even while drunk. 

He crawled into bed with the pink cuffs in his hand. Curiosity got the best of him. He unlocked the cuffs and fastened one of the bracelets around his wrist as he laid in bed. He wiggled his fingers and twisted his wrist within the bracelet. Jeongguk was right, they did feel good; powerful, yet soft and painless. The key was still safely lodged in the lock so he decided to fasten the second bracelet around his other wrist. He tugged at them. The feeling was something that he couldn’t quite explain. He was restricted, yet it was pleasurable. The fuzzy pink fabric felt soft against his skin, yet whenever he tried to pull away, he was met with a gentle restriction. His awareness of self was heightened, allowing him to feel the rawness between his legs as his cock awakened. It was as if a gate had opened, allowing greater sensitivity in every part of his body. Somehow it was just enough. The cuffs definitely held a bit of magic for him. Had he been a connoisseur of erotic bondage - fuzzy, pink handcuffs would’ve definitely been part of his arsenal. He understood why Jeongguk liked them so much.

But while he toyed with the cuffs and fantasized about Jeongguk’s strong tattooed wrists being bound by them, he overlooked one problem. Even though the key was still in the lock, he had bound both of his wrists, making it impossible to reach it and unlock them.

“Uh oh,” Jimin couldn’t help but laugh at himself. Only he could get into such a predicament. It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that he realized he had a real problem. No matter how much he contorted his fingers, he couldn’t reach the key to twist the lock open. “Shit!” He swore loudly. He stood to his feet, thinking he could maneuver into a better position while standing. But no sooner than he stood up, the key dropped to the ground and slid under the bed. “Shit, fuck, shit!” 

With his wrists still bound, he pushed his hands beneath the bed to feel around for the key. He crammed his body halfway under the bed before realizing that the key had simply vanished. Even after turning on the light, he couldn’t find it. Out of desperation, he tore through the box again, looking for another key that could fit the lock. He found several, but couldn’t fit them properly into the lock to release himself. His situation was suddenly very real and potentially dangerous. Before he knew it almost two hours had gone by. He slid the bed back and forth across the floor looking for the original key. But it was gone, impossibly gone. Jimin sat on his bed with a thump. He had very few choices. Either he was going to have to sleep with his hands bound or he was going to have to ask Jeongguk for help. After a few moments of contemplation, he realized that waking Jeongguk in the middle of the night to tell him that he had accidentally handcuffed himself and couldn’t find the key - was not it. 

Jimin fell back into the bed and laid on his side with his cuffed hands resting in front of his crotch.  He was too tired to fight anymore. The only thing to do was wait until morning to look for the key again. Something about the feel of the handcuffs lulled him to sleep. He felt comforted, secure, safe. A sudden intense desire to masturbate rushed over him. He wondered how it would feel to cum in the midst of such restricted bondage. But he fought against those raunchy thoughts. Jerking himself off with his coworker in the next room felt a bit debauched. 

What was it about these handcuffs that bubbled up such erotic desire? He wondered if Jeongguk felt the same arousal when he wore them. Maybe that was why he didn’t want to take them off. It was an odd feeling that he didn’t quite understand. Did he himself have a small bondage kink for pink fluffy handcuffs? The question was his last memory before falling asleep.

***

 

The noise coming from Jimin’s room was irritating. Why was he pushing his bed all around the room? The racket went on for a couple of hours before stopping. Jeongguk didn’t bother to speculate what it was about, but he did think it best to check in just to make sure that everything was ok. Before stepping out of his bedroom, he pulled on a robe to cover his partially nude body. He was not one for sleeping in layers of clothes. 

He crept down the hall to the room next to this. The door was open and he could see Jimin from his vantage point in the hallway. Whatever he was doing prior didn’t seem to matter because by that point, Jimin was resting peacefully in his bed. He appeared to be sleeping, which was comforting for Jeongguk. But just before he turned to go back to his room, he noticed the fluffy pink cuffs that wrapped around Jimin’s wrists. 

“What the hell?” Jeongguk snickered. 

Was Jimin having a little private party with the cuffs? Jeongguk wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was sexual or deviant or just a terrible accident. He settled on the latter. He looked around. Jimin’s room was in disarray. The bed was about five feet away from its proper position. The contents of the bdsm box were strewn all over the room. Key after key lay littered on the floor. And Jimin himself seemed to be distressed, judging from the red marks on his wrists where he had apparently struggled against the cuffs. Jeongguk didn’t know if he should intervene or go back to his bed. In his best guess of what had happened, he surmised that Jimin had accidently or on purpose locked himself in the handcuffs and then found himself unable to get free.  Jeongguk stepped into Jimin’s room to get an even closer look at his sleeping companion. 

At the very moment when he should have been looking for the right key to use to release the cuffs, he chose to stare at the handsome man. He knew that he would be mortified if Jimin were to wake up and find him standing there staring, but he couldn’t help it. He had to watch him sleep, just for a few seconds. Every delicate feature seared into Jeongguk’s brain. From the soft tendrils of the other’s hair, to his perfect Leonardo DiVinci sculpted nose to his small pink toes that peeked beneath the hem of his sweats. 

And then there were the cuffs. Jeongguk quickly stepped back when he felt himself start to stiffen at the sight of Jimin sleeping while bound.  A sudden urge to masturbate overwhelmed him. He couldn’t understand why the fluffy pink handcuffs aroused him. Seeing Jimin wear them only magnified the feeling. It was at that point that he realized he was not only attracted to him, but he had feelings for him, both romantic and sexual. He was embarrassed. Never had he behaved this way - watching a man in his sleep. Being alone with Jimin was more temptation than he bargained for. But for the sake of their careers and their budding friendship, he needed to be disciplined. Jimin was already weirded out by how romance coded the vacation was. Jeongguk didn’t want to do anything to agitate him any further. It was time for him to go back to his room. His creepy voyeurism needed boundaries.

“Jeongguk, is that you?” Jimin said wearily from the bed.

“Yea, it’s me. Go back to sleep.”

“Why are you in my room?”

“Nothing creepy, I promise,” he lied because watching him sleep for ten minutes was definitely creepy. “I heard all of the noise coming from your room. I came to check on you to make sure you were ok.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m so sorry. I had a bit of a situation.” Jimin tried to sit up but realized that his hands were still cuffed together. “Oh...yea…so this was my situation.” He laughed groggily as he lifted the cuffs to show them to Jeongguk.

“How exactly did this happen?” Jeongguk laughed and stepped closer to Jimin’s bed. “May I approach?”

“You may,” Jimin gave consent.

“I saw the key on the ground somewhere,”

“So…funny story. I was playing around with these things, wondering why you liked them so much. I put one on and then put the other on. I left the key in the lock and everything. But when I was ready to take them off, I couldn’t reach it because my hands were cuffed. Then to make the situation worse, I lost the key.”

“May I turn on the light?” Jeongguk asked for permission.

“Please.”

“I’m sure I saw the key. It’s different from all of the others. It has a pink heart at the end. It looks like a skeleton key. It’s here, hold on.”

“I lost it. I think I kicked it under the bed or something. I searched for two hours.” Jimin wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as he thought he would be. Jeongguk finding him cuffed to himself should have been his most embarrassing moment. But Jeongguk was so breezy with the situation that Jimin felt it was safe to tell him the truth 

“Here it is! Somehow you kicked it over here in the corner behind the door.” Jeongguk emerged with the pink heart key. “May I?” 

“Please, please yes you may.” Jimin held his arms out for Jeongguk to release him.

Jeongguk hesitated for a few seconds. A sinister look crossed his face as he stared down at Jimin on the bed; topless, sweaty, hot and handcuffed.

 Jimin could see the sin in Jeongguk’s eyes. His platonic buddy was aroused, sprouting a stiffy that molded the fabric beneath the thick robe. The younger one hesitated with removing the handcuffs, drinking in the sight of Jimin’s restriction. For a moment Jimin wondered if he would ever release him. 

 Jimin lifted his wrists a bit higher to break Jeongguk’s daze. 

The younger shook his head with a sudden spasm and then swiftly removed the cuffs, “How did this happen again?” He asked Jimin as he dropped the cuffs back into the box. 

“Doesn’t matter. Go back to bed. Thanks for getting me out,” Jimin rubbed his wrists. Despite the cuffs being soft to the touch, they left intrusive red marks. Jeongguk stared at them as if he were in a trance. He didn’t move a single muscle. “You can go back to bed…thanks for the rescue,” Jimin affirmed.

Jeongguk rushed out of Jimin’s room without saying goodbye. Within five minutes Jimin could hear the headboard banging gently against the wall. Whatever Jeongguk was doing, it was causing his entire bed to move. 

Jimin sat up in the bed and pressed his ear against the wall to hear more clearly. He could hear Jeongguk’s soft, passionate moans. He was getting himself off, with no regard for the fact that Jimin could hear him. Were the cuffs that much of a turn on, to the point where Jeongguk had to satisfy himself right then and there? Judging from his moans, Jimin surmised that the answer was definitely yes.

***

The following day was apple picking and wine tasting at a large vineyard about one hour south of the cabin. Once again Jimin did the honors of being the DJ, while Jeongguk drove them.

The weather was cold, but the sun was golden and the sky was so clear that the cold was barely noticeable. With a cup of hot coffee in his hand, Jimin exited the car. He looked towards the sky and took a long deep breath as the sun warmed his face. Being so far above sea level meant cleaner air and less traffic congestion. He felt exceedingly happy and exceedingly free as if all of the stress and drama of the last several days had completely washed away. 

He looked down the mountainside and summoned Jeongguk over, “You see those houses off in the distance down at the bottom?”

Jeongguk peered over the rail, “Quaint. I remember that neighborhood from when I was a kid.”

“I grew up down there. When you say you’re from Busan, most people just assume you grew up on the coast, near the sea. But I grew up at the foot of the mountain. We had sheep, a few goats and even a chicken. It was definitely different from the big city of Seoul. I always thought I wanted to move there when I grew up. I spent a few summers doing student teaching there and I couldn’t wait to come back home.”

“Same. We have so much in common. I did student teaching there as well. Seoul is nice, but it’s not home. I can understand why you chose to stay here,” Jeongguk lightly tapped Jimin’s hand. “Let’s go. We have glasses upon glasses of wine to taste as part of our  lunch for two in the apple orchard. And we’re going to get our money’s worth.”

“Don’t get too drunk. You’re my ride home,” Jimin remarked.

***

 

The orchard was expansive, with rows and rows of apples as far as the eye could see. Jimin and Jeongguk hung close to make sure they didn’t accidently get separated. With them, lingered several families with children who ran around in circles and threw rotten apples at each other. It was an annoyance, but one that both readily adapted to, considering they reminded them of their students. 

“I’m really having a great time,” Jimin offered. “I mean, I knew it would be fun, but I didn’t expect this. You’re a great travel buddy.” Jimin’s arms were full of vibrantly colored apples that he’d picked from the Macintosh tree. Despite having a bucket, he chose to carry his haul.

“Would you think I was crazy if…,” Jeongguk stopped walking, allowing the other families to walk ahead, leaving him and Jimin alone. He swung his bucket full of apples back and forth, “...would you think I was crazy if I planned to come back next year…me and you?”

“I would be honored, actually. I think it would be fun…maybe make a tradition out of it.”

“Fall is my favorite time of year, but my mom is always off with her boyfriend traveling and visiting romantic places. Sometimes I just want someone to enjoy it with too, you know? As-as friends…,”

“Of course. Bros, absolutely,” Jimin agreed. 

Jeongguk turned slightly, “Oh, look at those pink colored apples. We didn’t go down this row yet did we?”

“No. They’re beautiful. Let’s throw a few in our bucket.” Jimin already had his hands full, but he was willing to grab a few more to complete their collection.

Jeongguk started off, but within seconds he screamed and dropped the bucket, clawing at his face and hair. He spat as if his mouth was polluted, “SPIDER WEB!” He screamed as he tried to brush the large web away from his face. 

“And spiders,” Jimin said calmly. He could see the large hole in the silken structure where Jeongguk had walked right through. And for his troubles, he had collected two very large spiders that were crawling up his shoulder.

“SPIDERS! What do you mean SPIDERS!” Jeongguk began to spin in circles, swatting at every inch of his body.

“Ok, stay still before you push them down into your shirt. I recognize the species, they bite. May I get them off of you?”

“THEM? PLURAL? BITE?  I hate spiders,” he began to jump and flail, while slapping his arms, shoulders and legs, trying to kill the little creatures. Despite his antics, he ridiculously managed to avoid hitting either of them.

Jeongguk didn’t exactly give Jimin permission but consent was implied. He quickly jumped into action when he saw them crawling up Jeongguk’s neck towards his hair. “Ok, ok, I’ve got this.” Without thinking, he jammed one of his apples into his mouth, gripping it with his teeth, while dropping the others to the ground. He pounced on Jeongguk, slapping his neck hard and stunning both of the large spiders just long enough for him to knock them to the ground.

Jeongguk grabbed his neck, shocked by the painful slap. With the apple still in his mouth, Jimin tracked them along the ground to make sure they crawled away. He then immediately approached Jeongguk again, pulling down his coat collar and looking inside of his shirt for more creepy crawly stowaways. He shook Jeongguk’s shirt and pulled off his coat for a closer inspection, just to be on the safe side. 

Jeongguk stood perfectly still, holding his hand over the spot on his neck where Jimin had slapped him. He watched as Jimin shook his clothes, all while holding the small apple in his mouth. He could still feel the sting on his neck. His eyes focused, not on the path where the spiders had escaped, but on the swell of Jimin’s lips as they melded around the circumference of the rounded apple. He could see hints of the fruit juice gathering in the corners of his mouth as Jimin made mild mumbling noises caused by the stuffed apple. There was a smile there, ever so slightly distorted by his gag. 

Jeongguk felt his breath stammer, something similar to hyperventilation. It took mere seconds for him to realize what was happening to him; he was absolutely aroused by seeing Jimin with the apple stuffed roughly into his mouth. He found himself staring, gawking, salivating as he glazed his bottom lip with his overly wet tongue. He looked away penitently as soon as he felt his body begin to react.

Jimin, completely unaware of Jeongguk’s dilemma, casually handed his coat back to him. After what seemed like a fortnight, he finally removed the apple from his mouth to speak, “You’re clean. I got them all off of you. They didn’t bite you did they?” Jimin placed his cold hand along the area where the spiders had been. “Sorry about the slap,” he laughed. 

Jeongguk rushed towards Jimin with several ill-timed and overly aggressive steps. The sum of it all left Jimin pinned against the tree, with a very erect Jeongguk centimeters away from him. 

“What? What are doing? Are there spiders on me too?” Jimin checked his coat and hair for crawling arachnids.

Jeongguk had no words. He looked down at the apple that Jimin still held in his hand. Two perfect rows of bite marks were embedded in the skin.

“Uh, my apologies, I - I thought I saw one crawling on you too. But I was wrong.” Jeongguk stepped back, giving Jimin room to breathe. “Nothing…there’s nothing there. I - I hate spiders,” Jeongguk said vacantly.

Jimin proceeded to pick up the pile of apples that he had dropped to the ground. He hummed as he crawled on his hands and knees, recovering his stash. “Well the good news is they didn’t bite you. Those suckers pack quite a punch…,”

“I HAVE TO PEE!”  Jeongguk said unevenly and much too loudly. 

“Now? Can’t it wait until…?”

“Nope. Gotta’ go now. I’ll find one of the trees over there,” Jeongguk didn’t have to pee. But he did urgently need to walk off the erection that was crawling down his thigh. He was absolutely gobsmacked by the way his body responded to seeing Jimin with the apple in his mouth. He walked away quickly with his hands in his pockets, shaking his jeans, trying to get his cock to calm down. He cupped his crotch and pulled at his balls to try to get himself together. Thanks to his stubborn, unrelenting cock, it took another five minutes of wandering through the trees before his erection finally waned.

Jimin watched with confusion. From his vantage point, he could see Jeongguk talking to himself and shaking his jeans as if spiders were still in them. Eventually he disappeared behind a tree, leaving Jimin wondering if he really had to pee at all.

“Ok, that’s just weird,” he laughed. Instead of holding the apples in his arms again, he dropped them on top of the apples in Jeongguk’s bucket. 

 

It was getting late and the alcohol had worn off. It was time to head home. The two gathered enough apples to share with both of their classes when they returned to school. If both men had been honest and willing to admit it, they would have acknowledged how boyfriendy the day felt and how much they enjoyed moving like lovers instead of co-workers. They would have spoken the truth about the growing attraction between them and how it was affecting their time together. And lastly, maybe, they would have avoided wasting another night in the secluded cabin, pretending to be just friends.

“That was a pretty successful day two. Did you cancel the massage and the erogenous zone classes?” Jimin teased.

“I did. Tomorrow is down time. I have an incredible breakfast planned, an even more incredible dinner and a nice sandwich shop for lunch. We can sleep in, get some papers graded or just talk. I mean…if you want to talk. We don’t have to talk. We can do hundreds of things other than talk,” Jeongguk found himself flustered. 

“Jeongguk, all of it sounds perfect. I’m looking forward to it. Listen, I’m pretty exhausted. It was a long day. I’m going to grab a shower and get to bed. See you in the morning?”

“Yea. In the morning.” Jeongguk sunk into the couch as he watched Jimin walk back to his bedroom.

The elder teacher was starting to get to him. He couldn’t even look at him without fantasizing about him in some grossly inappropriate way. He sat there for a few more hours, contemplating his state of mind. The biggest question he asked himself was why he was suddenly so sexually attracted to the man who was just supposed to be his friend. Jimin hadn’t done anything intentionally to put those thoughts in Jeongguk’s head. They just came, fast and furious even when Jimin did nothing but smile at him. There was a level of guilt but also a level of curiosity. He wondered if  it was best to tell Jimin the truth about what he was feeling. Crossing the line would surely end poorly. He decided to keep his hands and his feelings to himself. They only had three more days. Surely he could keep his mind and his dick under control for five more days.  Just five. More. Days. 

 

As Jimin exited the shower, the first thing that caught his attention was the kink box next to his bed. He tried to ignore it by focusing on his wet hair. He pulled the blow dryer from the wall and played around with the settings. The noise from the dated dryer was startling. He laughed as he held it against small sections of his hair, blowing each around his head. Fingering the wet strands as the wind warmed his scalp gave him plenty of volume and bounce. 

Through the mirror’s reflection, he could still see the forbidden box. He had already been busted once playing with the handcuffs, he was not going to let it happen again. He returned to drying his hair and attempted to put the box out of his mind. Yet, every time he lifted his arm, he could see it. It tempted him, like an evil seductress. His resolve was much weaker than his curiosity. He had to open it one more time; if for no other reason than to feel the soft fuzzy handcuffs on his wrists again. 

 

The cuffs were not the only things he pulled from the box. He also retrieved the small pink crop, the silk blindfold and…the ball gag. It was an experiment. Truly, he just wanted to see how his body would react to playing with the bespoke toys. Never had he experienced the pleasures of bondage. It only made sense to test his interest…his boundaries.

Once again he secured the cuffs around his wrist. Only this time, he only secured one of the bracelets, leaving his other hand free to unlock himself when he was done. The sensation was immediate. He watched himself in the mirror as he placed the ball gag gently into his mouth and tied the velvet strands around the back of his head. He stood to his feet and released his fluffy white towel, leaving him standing there completely nude. A quick survey of his body revealed that the peaks of his nipples were already hard and the thick veins of his cock were already flushed with excited blood. 

Everything in the kink box contradicted the limited information he knew about traditional bdsm. It was as if the owner’s of the kit had forged a path into a new genre of kink play. Instead of the hard and painful whips, wooden paddles, and black leather whips of regular bondage play, everything in this tool kit seemed purposely intended for delicacy and softness. The materials were all incredibly satisfying to the touch. It was the equivalent of a soft cuddly teddy bear holding you gingerly in bondage and tickling you until you came all over yourself. That was the only way that Jimin knew to describe it in his head. 

He searched the recesses of his mind…at some point he was sure he’d heard of a concept known as soft, gentle dominance. Where the focus was on self-control, patience, mindfulness, insight, and understanding instead of violence, pain or humiliation. It was always the violent aspects of bdsm that turned Jimin away and kept him from wanting to associate with it. Even the words dominance and subordinate creeped him out. But the sudden discovery of these toys, with their much less abrasive engagement made him wonder if a world existed where there was no sub or dom, but equals who gently exchanged power dynamics like traditional switch couples. 

Another look in the mirror and he was ready to engage even deeper with the tools he’d selected. He began with the soft pink crop. He slapped his left nipple with it and then struck himself again right over his belly button. The sting was fantastic. Coupled with the pull of the handcuffs and the gag in his mouth, he felt a level of stimulation that was foreign to him. The key to his satisfaction was not one tool or two or three, but multiple layers of sensations acting upon his body at once. He loved the pink marks that the crop left on his chest. Despite the mild pain, it was brief, quickly forgotten, leaving him poised to do it again. So once again he whipped the crop against his nipple and then his belly button and then his nipple again. 

“Fuck,” he moaned. 

The blindfold lay on the vanity beneath the mirror. It was long, soft mauve in color, and exquisitely divine to the touch. He had never felt a fabric so sultry and satisfying. He took another look at his body, stared at the pink crop marks across his chest, and then he wrapped the blindfold around his eyes. He rubbed his hands up and down his naked body, exploring with his fingertips instead of his eyes. His small hand landed on the extended thickness of his shaft. It was so wrong to jack himself off with Jeongguk just  feet away, but the need to fuck himself was urgent. There could be no other consideration, he had to cum. He had to feel the flow of his juices spill over his hand while blindfolded, cuffed and gagged. It had to happen and it did. He breathed through his strokes, imagining how beautiful he looked cuffed and blindfolded while masturbating in front of the mirror. There was inexplicable pleasure in each pass of his fist, each squeeze of his leaky mushroom-capped tip. Within seconds, his orgasm swarmed causing a geyser of cum to squirt from his tip. His moans were much louder than he meant for them to be. Even gagged, his voice traveled down the hall, greeting Jeongguk as he sat on the couch flipping through the television channels.  

 

Jeongguk sat up, concerned that Jimin was possibly crying? Or maybe he was talking on the phone? He wasn’t sure what the noises were so he flipped off the television and walked back to Jimin’s bedroom. Outside of the door he stood with his ear pressed against the wood. His eyes bulged and a sinister smile crept across his face. Unless Jimin had managed to sneak someone in his room, he was fruitfully and shamelessly fucking himself in his bedroom. And Jeongguk could hear every bit of it. In fact, he absolutely loved it because for the first time he had confirmation that he wasn’t the only one feeling a heightened sense of sexuality. Jimin was experiencing it too. Something inside of Jeongguk made him feel victorious, avenged. He was not the only pervert on the mountain. He wondered if Jimin was continuing his exploration of the toys in the box, the exploration that had led him to accidentally locking himself in the cuffs and having to be rescued the previous night. If Jeongguk’s assumptions were correct, it meant that Jimin had a kinky side; a side he was very bad at hiding. 

It took every bit of discipline he had not to barge in with his dick in his hand and shove it up Jimin’s ass. But…just because Jimin had a little hidden freak inside of him, didn’t mean he wanted to share that side of himself with Jeongguk. So, rather than be a creep and continue to listen at the door until Jimin finished, Jeongguk chose to go back to his television program and his warm seat on the couch. 

***

 

By the time Jimin arose the following morning, Jeongguk was already cooking breakfast. 

The sun’s rays traveled through the kitchen, bronzing the surface of Jeongguk’s skin as he happily stood over a hot stove. He was cheerful, full of smiles. Jimin wondered if he had possibly overheard his little self-bondage ceremony the previous night. If he had, Jeongguk didn’t mention it. And Jimin appreciated him for not making it - weird.

“What are you cooking?” Jimin asked as he made his way into the large gourmet kitchen.

“I’m using the fresh apples we picked to make apple cinnamon pancakes.”

“Oh that sounds so delicious. May I help?”

“I would love help. Cooking with Park Jimin. Sounds like a YouTube channel.” Jeongguk laughed. He was indeed in a very good mood. “I’m reducing the apples with a little cinnamon-sugar, vanilla and butter. When I’m done it’ll have the consistency of a compote. We’ll pour it over the top of the pancakes. Got the recipe from my aunt and I think you’re going to love it. While I’m doing this, do you mind starting on the batter?”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“The owner of the cabin has a standing mixer. It’s a Kitchenaid too. Really quality stuff. I’ve already set it up on the counter. Can you start pouring the ingredients into the bowl and give it a good mix? The recipe is there on that yellow piece of paper.”

“Sure.”  Jimin walked over to the other side of the kitchen where Jeongguk had the pancake supplies set up. He settled in and took inventory of all of his ingredients. He also took inventory of his sexy companion who stood barefoot at the oven. From his vantage point, he had a great view of Jeongguk’s butt as he stirred his spicy apples.

Jimin found a spare apron and popped it over his head. The apron he chose was three sizes too big, so he looped it around his waist several times and tied it in the front. Despite his attempts to tighten the strings and take up the slack, they dangled along the counter around the outside of the bowl. Each time he leaned forward to add a new ingredient, the rouge apron strings would end up inside of the bowl. But he was so focused on his task that he barely noticed. Jimin was making a mess, but he very much enjoyed the chaos of his technique. 

“How’s it coming?” Jeongguk asked as he continued to mix his apples on the stove.

Jimin mouthed the words to the next line on the recipe, “One half cup of sugar…uh fine. It’s going fine. But where’s the sugar?” Jimin wondered.

“The sugar…? I think I saw it up here,” Jeongguk danced to the soft lo-fi music playing in the background. He grabbed a stool and pushed it up to the counter. “I saw it way up here on the top shelf. Kind of a dumb place to keep the sugar,” Jeongguk continued to dance his way up the step stool. As his eyes glanced over each of the packages on the high shelf, he wiggled his hips and shook his butt to the beat of the music. 

Jimin started the mixer. The blades of the mixer slowly began to swirl, picking up speed with each circumference it traveled through the mixture. The different ingredients, dry and wet, began to layer and then mix. Jimin smiled. His project was coming together nicely. He glanced up from his pancakes to get Jeongguk’s approval and that’s when his eyes immediately landed on the firm muscular butt shrouded in tight jeans, at the top of the step stool. 

He bit his lip as his eyes traveled the full length of Jeongguk’s incredibly long legs. Jimin recognized his jeans. They were the same jeans that Jeongguk had been wearing the first time they met - all those months ago at new teacher orientation. They clung to Jeongguk’s body like a second skin, despite large rips along the knee and the tattered hem. Jimin felt himself growing faint. Jeongguk, the aphrodisiac, was beguiling him once again.

Jeongguk was having trouble finding the sugar. He turned over every package on the shelf, reading it thoroughly before pushing it aside. “I know I saw it up here somewhere.”

Jimin didn’t mind the delay because the harder the sugar was to find, the longer Jimin was able to stare at younger’s butt. He leaned forward, losing track of his silly apron strings that had been encumbering him all morning. His eyes glossed over as he watched Jeongguk slide down the step stool and land gracefully onto the floor with the sugar in his hand.

“See I told you I would find it,” Jeongguk said brightly.

Just then Jimin felt an uncomfortable pull at his apron. Within milliseconds the pull got stronger and then stronger and then stronger. Jimin could feel himself being pulled towards the bowl and the spinning blades of the mixer. 

His eyes bulged with panic, “Whoa! Whoa! What the hell,” Jimin strained, “Shit! My apron strings are caught in the mixer.”

Jeongguk spun around just in time to see Jimin’s apron bunching up and twisting between the blades of the mixer. The apron tightened around Jimin’s body as the fabric became more and more entangled in the spinning machine.

“Well shit! That’s not good,” Jeongguk jumped into action. 

Jimin could feel the fabric squeezing him tighter and tighter around his body as the spinning mixer gobbled up more of the apron’s fabric. He couldn’t reach the off switch because the apron had pulled so tightly around his body that he could barely move. Even his arms were restricted.

Meanwhile, Jeongguk just couldn’t fathom how Jimin had gotten himself into such a predicament. The mixer continued to spin, speeding up faster and faster the more Jimin fought against it. 

Jeongguk tried pulling Jimin free, but by this time, his apron was so tangled within the mixing blades that there was no slack to pull for leverage. The apron was tight around his chest and he was struggling more significantly by the second. 

“Why does this kind of shit always happen to you?” 

“I don’t know. I truly don’t fucking know,” Jimin giggled despite the fact that the mixer had now gobbled up half of his shirt as well as the apron. The ceramic bowl wobbled furiously under the uneven spinning from the mixer tossing around the combination of pancake mix and Park Jimin. “Ok, I need you to get me out of here,” Jimin managed to smile despite the life being squeezed out of him.

“Trying. Be still, stop squirming,” Jeongguk moved in closer. He stood behind Jimin who was being pulled chest first into the bowl of pancake mix. He gave him another tug to try to dislodge him from what they deemed a homicidal Kitchenaid mixer. But Jeongguk still couldn’t get him free. Kitchenaids were expensive and if they weren’t careful, they could have easily cracked the blades or blown the motor. Jeongguk did not want that expense on his damages bill. It was a bonafide mess that Jeongguk tried to take seriously, even though he couldn’t stop laughing. 

Jimin’s chest was mildly constricted and his arms were caught at his sides. The entire situation was comedy at its finest. 

“Wow, this thing is really trying to eat you alive,” Jeongguk laughed. 

“Unplug it before you have to send my remains to my sister,” Jimin was tickled. The tasty batter with no sugar splashed all over his face, the cabinets, the counters and Jeongguk.

“Unplug it? Oh…what a great idea,” Jeongguk walked up behind Jimin. The only way to reach the plug was to press against Jimin’s back and reach over him.

Jimin could feel Jeongguk’s warm body. They were adhered together like two spoons in a drawer as Jeongguk finally managed to reach the plug.

“The simplest solution is always the best,” Jeongguk laughed. The overly aggressive beaters were stopped, but Jimin’s situation was ongoing. “You’re still tangled. May I…help you get loose?”

“Please. Being stuck in a kitchen mixer isn’t exactly how I planned to spend my day.”  Jimin consented.  

“This should only take a second.” The first thing that Jeongguk had to do was slowly rewind the blades to give Jimin more slack. “Can you breathe, are you ok?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just get me out of this entrapment,” Jimin waited patiently. 

The strings of the apron were wrapped around  Jimin’s chest multiple times and the ends were looped multiple times around the beating blades, causing a tightness around his chest. The only thing that could be done to free him was a methodical untangling of each of the strings as well as the fabric. Jeongguk hit the release button which ejected the mixing blades. Jimin was able to stand free of the bowl but his clothes remained caught.

The untangling was a messy matter, with batter dripping everywhere. The thick watery dough felt like slime and Jeongguk’s long fingers were covered in it. He pulled and tugged, trying to loosen the knots that had formed, anxious to get his friend free. With each tug, more of Jimin’s bare chest was exposed. Jeongguk could see the red marks begin to form along Jimin’s skin where the strings were pulled against it. Face to face they stood, with Jeongguk’s soft brown eyes focused on his task. 

Jimin felt strange, hot, over stimulated as every nerve in his body rapidly and uncontrollably fired. Something about being tightly bound triggered him, opening the gates to the sinister underbelly of his deepest desires. Now was not the time, not with Jeongguk standing so close. He tried to control his thoughts, closing his eyes to retrain his brain towards the mundane. But with every twist of the strings, and every hard pull, every tug at his body, he spiraled. The feel of Jeongguk’s hands on him, the closeness of his face and the soft hint of toothpaste on his breath drove Jimin insane. He balled his hands into a fist and tried to control it. With Jeongguk being so near to him, he was sure to notice that Jimin had an erection.

There was no other movement between them except for Jeongguk’s restless fingers working the knots of the apron. 

Jimin felt Jeongguk’s gaze and heard the deepening rasp of his breath. The strings slowly began to loosen and before he knew it, both the mass of the apron and Jimin’s shirt slid to the floor, leaving Jimin standing there with a chest covered in searing pink bondage wounds. He closed his eyes, an attempt to mask his thoughts while avoiding the beautiful eyes that were staring back at him. And then suddenly, he felt Jeongguk’s mouth on his shoulder, his breath wafting in a hot mist against his skin. Gently, both of his large batter covered hands came around his waist. The floor seemed to shift beneath their feet as he leaned into the solid strength of Jeongguk’s rugged body. Jimin hardly dared to breathe. His fingers curved around the younger’s broad, muscular back. The swollen bulge of Jeongguk’s cock pressed into Jimin’s thigh while his long wandering fingers found the crest of his nipple and slowly massaged it to its peak. He tried to step away but was overwhelmed by the intimate pleasure. Jimin released a soft groan and clenched his hands over Jeongguk’s ass to hold him in place and keep their bodies pressed together. The heat was building in his loins and there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Jeongguk said softly, his mouth nipping at Jimin’s ear and then trailing down his neck.

“What’s happening?” Jimin whispered as he threw his head back to feed more of his sensuous swan-like neck to Jeongguk.

“I don’t know.”

Nothing was in their control anymore. They moved by sheer instinct. 

To Jimin’s surprise, his small hands grabbed at the lapel of Jeongguk’s button down shirt. He pressed his mouth against the hard mound of his chest and then reached for his nipple with long velvety licks from his tongue. The savory taste of the bitter batter coated his skin. Once again, Jimin’s hands crept inside of the lapels, spreading them open and pushing the shirt from Jeongguk’s shoulders. It dropped to the floor on top of the batter covered apron and Jimin’s shirt. Still refusing to meet Jeongguk’s eyes, Jimin found the waist of his jeans and began unbuttoning them. 

Jeongguk trembled, heart slamming against his chest as he felt the pluck of Jimin’s fingers against the buttons on his pants. The loosened jeans obediently lowered, revealing the CK logo on the hem of Jeongguk’s underwear. Jeongguk’s breath skipped, his eyes rolled as he absorbed the sultry feel of Jimin’s foreign touch.

Jimin’s fingers touched the tautness of Jeongguk’s lower belly as he smoothed through the hairs that laid uniformly like silk across his crotch. It was at that moment, when Jimin’s hands began to explore Jeongguk’s most intimate regions. Only then did their eyes meet.

“I want to touch you there, please say yes. May I touch you there?” Jimin looked for consent before proceeding. He needed permission to pleasure him.

“Fucking yes,” Jeongguk moaned as he pushed his hips towards Jimin’s crawling fingers. 

 

There was a strong aggressive knock at the door. The veil of passion was suddenly and callously lifted. Rawness of what they had done and what they were about to do sobered them immensely, causing them to pause and pull back, partially clothed and still reeling. 

Jeongguk looked at Jimin as if he were a stranger, seeing him for the first time. Jimin looked on with similar disbelief. Whatever had come over them had not been sanctioned by either of them. They were left standing there, partially clothed in the kitchen, swimming in regret; each wondering if they had offended the other.

“That’s um, uh probably the wine that we ordered from the orchard. I-I better answer the door,” Jeongguk said awkwardly.

“You do that. I-I-uh better clean up this mess. There’s batter everywhere.” Jimin turned his back abruptly. He fished through the batter-covered pile of clothes on the floor and quickly slid back into his shirt. 

Jeongguk took one final look at the marks across Jimin’s back before heading to answer the door. 

***

He placed the delivered wine on the hearth of the fireplace and then immediately bolted. He ran out of the cabin so fast that he didn’t even take a jacket with him. Jeongguk wasn’t ready to face Jimin and admit to what had happened in the kitchen. He first needed to understand it for himself before he could talk to Jimin about it. He chose to go for a walk along the path behind the house. The foreboding trees and dark forest floor were not enough to dissuade him because he much preferred the unknown of the forest than the unknown of what was happening between him and Jimin. 

As Jeongguk wandered down the path, he deconstructed the events in his head. Everything was a blur and in the end, all he could remember was the overwhelming urge to fuck. It had all started when he saw the restriction marks on Jimin’s skin. That seemed to be the trigger that caused him to lose his senses. The only thing he remembered after that was pressing his lips against Jimin’s bare shoulders. He could still feel the heat in his cock from his raging erection. Never had his dick been that hard withYu-jon. So how did Jimin draw such a reaction from him? Had he been the one to make the first move? It was unclear.

Jeongguk continued to overthink the situation. He aimlessly took a right turn at the end of the path, which led him away from the trail. It wasn’t just the incident in the kitchen that had Jeongguk confused. It was all of it - the entire two days they had spent alone. Everything about Jimin felt like a sexual conquest, a journey he was destined to take, but couldn’t. Their friendship was on solid ground and he cherished it above everything else. Sex would ruin everything. 

That’s how it started with Yu-jon, friends, best friends, until the night they had sex. It didn’t take them long to realize that the sex was much stronger than the friendship and that’s where things started to fall apart because they didn’t have a strong enough foundation to keep Yu-jon faithful. 

If he crossed the line with Jimin, he would end up losing a friend that was a once in a lifetime find. In the little time that he and Jimin had become closer, he had served as a transformative figure in Jeongguk’s life, changing his outlook and helping him find inner strength that he never knew he possessed. Surely he wasn’t ready to sacrifice all of that for a fuck. Albeit, possibly one of the best fucks of his lifetime. 

“No, I can’t,” Jeongguk said aloud as he picked frost covered pine cones from the forest floor. 

He continued on until he reached a peaceful stream that flowed from the upper tier of the mountain. There his feet shifted over a lake of pebbles beneath him. One by one, he skipped them across the water’s surface as he grappled with his feelings. For the first time in forever, he was embarrassed by his behavior with Jimin. And that was a rare occurrence because Jimin was the only person in the world who never made him feel uncomfortable in his own skin. 

Adding to his embarrassment was knowing that the night prior, he had been so aroused by his cabin mate that he fucked himself with a dildo, after watching Jimin squirm inside of the pink fluffy handcuffs. It was that image that stuck in his head as he worked himself to climax. Even though he knew that Jimin could possibly hear him, he did it anyway. He couldn’t help himself. 

And that brought up another problem that confused him. Why was he so turned on by the elements of bdsm? First the handcuffs, then seeing Jimin gagged with the apple, then the accidental tangling of the apron. Where had this new proclivity come from and why was it suddenly overwhelming him? He had never given the practice a second thought until they uncovered the tools in the box.  

He made excuses to himself, “It’s been a long time since you had sex. At least five months. You’re just horny, that’s why you’re so unhinged.” He nodded with relief. 

That was as good of a reason as any. But was there more? He had spent time with other friends, but none of them were so stimulating that they compelled him to bend himself over a bed and fuck himself. No. This seemed like a Jimin only phenomenon. 

Jeongguk considered himself a man of integrity. He wasn’t putting himself through misery just for the sake of being dramatic. There was a very valid reason that he couldn’t simply give in to his desires. And that was because - he and Jimin worked together. That fact alone raised the stakes much higher than they had ever been with Yu-jon. Principal Han already suspected something was going on between them even before the sexual tension crept in. Imagine what she would sense if they were actively fucking each other. Jeongguk’s job meant everything to him. Even though he hated the school because of the administration, he wanted to control his own fate and not have some nosey hag dictating his future. Allowing himself to engage in a fuckfest with Jimin would drastically change their dynamic, giving her the upper hand because dating between staff was explicitly prohibited by Principal Han, even though it was perfectly fine at other schools. There was no way they would be able to hide it from her if they started a sultry forbidden affair.

There was one thing that Jeongguk was certain of. His behavior was not rebound drama. Thanks in part to Jimin, he had solidly put Yu-jon behind him, to the point of being agnostic to his existence. That was  the best thing to come out of him and Jimin’s friendship. He was able to see Yu-jon for the snake he had always been.

Jeongguk skipped so many rocks across the stream that a large pile of them began to gather on the other side. He was lost in thought and barely cognizant of time. A rustling of footsteps over dry leaves sounded behind him, causing him to turn around. 

There stood a pale tan doe, all alone, grazing on the wet moss that grew along the large oak tree. 

“Why hello there. Did you come here to think too? Are you also being tormented by a flaming hot first grade teacher who refuses to stop crowding your sexual thoughts? Yea, same.” He smiled at the doe who was unbothered by his presence. 

The animal was a thing of beauty.; light fur, with perfectly rounded white spots along his torso, large fluffy ears and eyes as big as bulbs. Jeongguk had to get a picture. He knew that his students would be delighted to see such a lovely creature in its natural habitat. As the doe walked deeper into the forest, Jeongguk followed along quietly snapping pictures from different angles. He allowed Jeongguk to get within inches of him, often posing for the camera with twigs in his mouth. 

And then just as suddenly as the doe appeared, he sprinted away, cutting through the trees, making it impossible for Jeongguk to follow. It was only then that Jeongguk noticed that the sun was going down. Inadvertently, he had spent hours in the forest, losing all track of time. As someone born in the bustling city of Busan, it was rare to experience nature in such an intimate setting. But as luck would have it, he had overstayed his welcome. A chorus of crickets, croaking frogs, and hooting owls signaled dusk. It was definitely time to head home. The dappled light of the trees grew dim as he turned back towards the cabin. Well at least he thought he turned towards the cabin. He searched the ground for the familiar path, using his phone to illuminate the dirt. He turned in circles, unsure of which direction to go. The light of his phone recessed before eventually going dark. 

“Shit. What is going on?” He shook his phone trying to get the light turned back on. And then he realized the problem. And it was a big problem. His phone was dead. He was in the middle of the forest, he had been gone for hours, he hadn’t told Jimin where he was going or that he was even leaving and he was fucking lost. “FUCK! How did I end up in this situation?” 

***

Chapter Four - The Tenacity

The sun was sinking fast. He had only a few moments of light remaining and he had to use it to find his way back to the path that led to the cabin. He had followed the doe for so long that he had become discombobulated. He could hear the running stream in the distance, the same stream where he had skipped the rocks. But each time he walked in the direction of the sound, he found himself further away from it. This was a real problem. Under no circumstances was he capable of spending the night in the freezing cold alone in a forest. 

“SHIT!” He swore again, panicked. 

He was paralyzed with indecision. Each step he took seemed like the wrong one. The moon was out and the stars were brightly shining overhead. If only he knew how to use them as a compass. The noises around him transformed from the peaceful sounds of nature to the threatening sounds of predators. He was almost certain that he heard growling in the distance. Not knowing what could potentially be out there stalking him was a blessing because if he had known, he would have been even more afraid. He was freezing. With no jacket, no gloves and no hat or scarf, he was definitely not prepared for the quickly turning weather. Once again he swore at himself. He had been so frazzled by his encounter with Jimin that nothing in his brain seemed to work right. He had sealed his own fate. Regardless of the right direction, he had to move. Standing there only made him a sitting target for whatever predator might be looming in the darkness. 

All at once he heard someone call his name, followed by a concentrated cone of light that pierced through the hazy darkness. 

“Jeongguk! Jeongguk are you out here?” Jimin called.

“Jimin! Jimin, is that you?” I’m over here! Over here!” Jeongguk ran towards the light that cut through the dark row of trees. He ran quickly towards Jimin’s voice. He had never been so relieved to hear someone call his name.

Jimin ran to Jeongguk and embraced him in a tight hug. “For fuck sake, where have you been? You’ve been gone all day. I almost called the police. I called and called and called and only got your voicemail.”

“My phone is dead…I got lost…I,” Jeongguk tried to explain.

Jimin didn’t want to hear it. He was solely focused on getting them out of there. He was already looking back towards the direction he came trying to plot their way back.. 

“Lucky I decided to come out here to try to find you myself before sounding the alarm. I’ve been searching for over an hour. Thank God. Oh thank God I found you.” Accordingly, as only Jimin would, he also had Jeongguk’s coat and gloves. “I really panicked when I saw that you hadn’t taken your coat. Take this and put it on. You’ll freeze to death out here in the elements. What were you even thinking, leaving the house without saying a word?” Jimin was truly rattled by Jeongguk’s little stunt, “We have a long walk back to the cabin. We need to move quickly. There are hyenas in these mountains. Some wild boar too… and bears. Just not a good place to hang out and party.” Jimin laughed as he held Jeongguk’s hand and led him down a hill that emptied out into a clearing. 

“I have never been so fucking happy to see someone in my life.” Jeongguk breathed heavily as he followed a spry Jimin through the bushes. “Jimin, I was lost. Really lost. And confused. I thought I was going to have to spend the night out here. I wasted half of my phone battery taking pictures of fucking deer and then when I realized that I needed help and tried to call out, my phone was dead. Fuck-what a mess.”

Jimin laughed loudly at Jeongguk’s turmoil, “You city boys.”

“That’s right. You grew up on the mountain side, didn’t you?”

“Yes, which is why I sensed you were in trouble. I know the basics of how to survive and general tracking which is how I found you. No one who knows anything about the forest would venture out so far and stay until dusk. Surely, you had no idea how much danger you were in.”

“And I would rather not know. Just help me get home,” Jeongguk pleaded with a chuckle.

Whatever confused feelings he had for Jimin before, they were only amplified by him literally saving his life. They continued to walk for another forty five minutes, climbing over rocks and ducking under fallen trees. 

“Did I really wander off this far?”

“Yes, you did. I’m leading you through a shortcut to get back home. Don’t ever do this again, ok?” Jimin scolded. 

“Yea, never,” Jeongguk agreed.

“Look, whatever I did or said to set you off and upset you…I’m sorry. The shit that happened in the kitchen…will never happen again. I lost control. I should have stopped it. I should have handled it differently,” Jimin said as they made their way back to the main path. 

“Don’t you dare take responsibility for that. It was both of us, mostly me that crossed the line. And Jimin…you didn’t “set me off”.  I wasn’t running from you. I just needed time to clear my head. To think. And the sooner you can get me out of these woods and keep the wild boars from eating my face, the sooner I can tell you what I was thinking about.”

Jimin laughed. “Look straight ahead. You are mere feet from safety.”

Jeongguk could see the faint lights of the cabin in front of them. He took a deep frosty breath at the sight of it. “Dear God. I would have never figured out how to get back if it weren’t for you. I put both of us in danger by being vapid. I’m so incredibly sorry.”

“I’m just glad that I found you. This is how every fucking horror movie begins.”

 

As they climbed the steps to the beautiful white house, Jimin rushed Jeongguk inside. 

“I’m so cold,” Jeongguk’s teeth chattered as he walked towards the burning fire. “But we need to talk, it’s important.”

“I’m sure it is. But you’ve been exposed to the elements for a very long time with no coat.” He examined Jeongguk’s fingers and the inside of his hands, “No frost bite. But you do need to warm up. Go take a nice hot shower and then meet me here for a glass of whiskey. Let’s get you warmed up first and then we can talk,” Jimin said with finality. It was total soft Dom behavior. And the fact that Jeongguk saw it as such, was even more problematic.

By the time Jeongguk emerged from the shower, Jimin was already sitting on the couch. His hair was wet and his skin glistened; a sign that he had showered as well. He was shirtless and wearing his signature pair of baggy sweats. The faint markings from the tangled apron could still be seen on his skin. Two large glasses, both filled to the brim with whiskey, sat on the table in front of him.

 Jeongguk laughed, “Do you expect me to drink all of that?”

“Yup. But you’re not alone. I’m going down the rabbit hole with you. Drink,” Jimin said again somewhat authoritatively. 

“Later. I need to talk to you while my head is clear.”

“Is it that serious?” Jimin asked sadly.

“Yea, it is,” Jeongguk confirmed. 

Jimin could feel some type of morally sanctioned, overly pious rejection coming, even though they had never officially crossed any boundaries. He took a large, fiery gulp of whiskey. Jeongguk wanted to be sober when he delivered the news, but Jimin wanted to be drunk when he heard it.

Jeongguk held no punches. He began with his most honest truth, despite how embarrassing it was to say aloud,“The night that I found you trapped in the handcuffs…I was so turned on that I leaned over my bed and fucked myself with my dildo. There I said it.”

Jimin immediately slammed his hand on the table and grabbed his large glass of whiskey. He downed it in one felonious gulp. He had so many questions, but first the shock of Jeongguk’s honesty had to wear off.

“The reason that I’m telling you this is to expose a serious issue that I’ve been dealing with since we opened that fucking box of sin. I don’t know what it is Jimin but I’ve been off the rails horney, thinking about fucking, bondage and handcuffs and feathers. It is the most ridiculous situation I’ve ever found myself in. And sadly, it’s caused fantasies that all revolve around you.”

“I mean…,” Jimin was not ready. He was not prepared for the dildo tea that Jeongguk spilled. He couldn’t hear anything else the man was trying to say, “...I knew you were doing something because I could hear it. I thought you were just jerking yourself off like regular people. I had no idea that large toys were involved.”

Jeongguk laughed, “So yea…I’m a freak. Let’s just get that part out of the way. I like to have things stuffed up my ass occasionally.”

“So I gathered from your soliloquy the other night about large pumpkins.” Jimin looked around for the bottle of whiskey. He needed more. “Continue.”

Jeongguk continued, “You, your body, your mind - you do it for me in every way. I don’t want to make love to you…I want to fuck you. Or watch you fuck me. Every part of me wants to just forget about the risk and succumb to you, beg you to take me hard and fast and raw.”

“HOLY SHIT!” Jimin looked around, “Where is the fucking whiskey?” He began to pace around the fireplace. Never had anyone spoken such sexually volatile words to him before. He needed a drink, another really strong drink if he was going to survive Jeongguk’s honesty.

Jeongguk was deadly serious and he wasn’t finished, “That’s the salacious part. The more emotional and reverent part is what I’m about to say next. While I was out walking today, I realized something that frightened me. I can’t lose you Jimin. It would be so easy to give in to temptation and just let this all happen. But it's too risky because we don’t know how introducing sex into our relationship will affect us. We’ve known each other for a while now. But it’s the last few months that have shown me who you really are. You’re an incredible person with a beautiful heart. You’ve been here for me at my lowest point. You’ve changed my perspective and helped me climb out of my dungeon of self-pity. I realized today…that you mean more to me than a simple fuck ever will. And that’s why I think we should cut the trip short and go back home. There’s just too much temptation here, too many opportunities to do the wrong thing.”

Jimin finally found the whiskey. After a few more sips, he stabilized himself. “I thought you said you weren’t trying to run from me Jeongguk.”

“I’m not….I…,”

“...cutting this trip short so that we can go our separate ways, is running from me. And not only are you running from me, you’re running from yourself.”

“That’s ridic…,”

“...let me speak,” Jimin’s tone was definitely Dom coded, “you had your chance to speak and now it’s mine. You don’t get to make these decisions in a silo. I’m happy that you came to me to talk about this. Honestly I was going to have this same conversation with you, but with a slightly different perspective. I think you need to hear my side before you make a decision on how we should proceed. Now may I…speak?”

“You may,” Jeongguk finally decided to attack his glass of whiskey.

“I’ve been going out of my mind since we got here. Everything you said was correct. Let’s be honest here, there’s been an attraction between us for a long time. The bondage stuff…well I think the stars just aligned for us to stumble upon a kink that was hidden inside of us. The moment you slapped those cuffs on your wrists, I was gone. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since it happened. We’re both a bit sexually frustrated and there is definitely an attraction between us.” Jimin swirled the whiskey in his glass, rolling it over the chunks of ice before it settled to the bottom. “But Jeongguk, I’m not Yu-jon. Can’t you see that it’s different between us? I’m not suggesting that we just fuck at the expense of everything else. But at the same time, I don’t want to put up guardrails that could keep us from exploring something new…something beautiful. I think about you alot, almost every night, even before we arrived here. The truth is, I’ve had a crush on you since the day you delivered me from that pile of vomit.  The only thing that kept me from making a move…was you. I didn’t want to be rejected by you if you didn’t feel the same way. But now I know, it’s not just me who feels this way.”

Jeongguk rubbed his temples. He and Jimin were definitely not on the same page. But he was starting to really like Jimin’s argument. “So what do you propose we do?”

“Definitely not run. Besides this place is paid for. We can’t leave early and go back home.”

“You still didn’t answer. What do you propose we do?”

“Give in to me,” Jimin said simply.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, we have five more days left on this little vacation of ours. All I am asking you for is twenty-four hours. We’ll make a vow right here, right now that we won’t allow anything we do to affect our jobs, or our friendship. I can’t lose you either, but the difference between us is that I trust you enough to realize that we can withstand anything…even this.”

“Friends with benefits?” Jeongguk asked.

“The key word being friends. Forever. I’ll never turn my back on you and nothing that happens here will change that,” Jimin walked over to the couch where Jeongguk was sitting. 

He leaned dangerously close as if he were going to kiss him, but instead he reached behind him and pulled the fluffy pink cuffs from underneath the cushion. With a couple of quick snaps, he locked himself in the handcuffs and then walked back towards the fireplace. 

Jeongguk glanced down at Jimin’s small sturdy feet as they gingerly stepped over the carpet. He moved like a dancer, quiet, graceful and light. 

Jimin held the cuffs in front of him, allowing the fire to warm them. The chain rattled as he snapped it hard. “My God these feel so good. There’s so much we could explore.” 

“Fuck,” Jeongguk focused his eyes. Watching Jimin jingle the cuffs about with the pink fuzz tickling his number 13 tattoo was the stuff that fantasies were made of. Carrying the pink heart shaped key, he walked over to him. Like an angry father, he unlocked the cuffs and allowed them to fall to the floor. He said nothing.

Jimin grinned. He wasn’t sure if he’d made his point, but he’d said everything he needed to say so he was content. “You don’t have to give me an answer today. Like I said, we have plenty of time because all I need is twenty-four hours. Think about it. No is a perfectly acceptable answer, but I do hope you say yes.” Jimin retrieved the cuffs that had fallen to the ground and gently removed the key from Jeongguk’s hand. “Well, I’ll leave you to your thoughts. I have a few more papers to grade and then I want to get started on that certification they assigned us last month. I haven’t even opened the study guide.” Just like that, Jimin transitioned out of the moment. He gave Jeongguk another smile and then gently caressed his cheek before leaving the room. 

 

***

Chapter Five - The Intensity

 

Jimin was saddened to learn that Jeongguk considered going home. It felt like an over reaction just because they had an attraction to each other. Even if the younger wasn’t willing to take him up on the twenty-four hour offer, he hoped that he at least would change his mind about leaving.

 

Only work could put their conversation out of his mind and keep him from lamenting over it. So he decided to get to work. 

The vanity against the wall served as a makeshift desk. It was the same vanity he’d used to watch himself masturbate the night before. It was a comfortable seat, close to the window with plenty of space to set up his laptop. Doing schoolwork while on unpaid leave seemed like an oxymoron. Why should he give anything back while serving time for an unjust punishment? His dedication to his job was his justification. 

It didn’t take long for him to immerse himself in reading through the certification material. He was just about to take the first practice test when he suddenly saw Jeongguk standing at his door. 

Jimin jumped. “You scared me. I didn’t see you standing there. You ok?”

Jeongguk answered his question with a question, “We’re switches aren’t we? I mean, in this world that we fantasize about…there is no single Dom.”

Jimin’s subrident gaze said it all, “Yea. I think so…? I would question if there would be a Dom in our world at all? Seems like that’s too regimented for our tastes.” 

“We have…zones…moods that seem to dictate who rises and when. I noticed it when we first started hanging out. Yin and Yang kind of thing.”

“Interesting. You’ve given this some thought. When did you come to this conclusion?”

“May I come in?”

“Of course,” Jimin shut his laptop and turned to give Jeongguk his full attention as he entered and sat on the bed.

“I haven’t come to a conclusion about anything. I’m just trying to verbalize my crazy random thoughts.”

“Nothing about your thoughts are crazy.” Jimin leaned back in his chair. The odd positioning of his torso accentuated the ripples of muscles along his ribcage. The pink fluffy handcuffs were resting on the desk behind him. “So does this mean you’ve changed your mind about barging out of here and going home?”

“That was maybe…a bit drastic,” Jeongguk said as his eyes flitted over the handcuffs on the desk.

“Very drastic.” Jimin leaned forward, eyes concentrated on all of the places he longed to kiss on Jeongguk’s face. “And my proposal? Are you willing to accept?”

Jeongguk looked at him with wide, rounded eyes that revealed his vulnerability, “I’m scared for us. All of this is just so fucking risky.”

“You know how the saying goes; with great risk comes great reward. That’s just how the game is played, I guess.”

“I want the reward.”

“I do too.”

Jeongguk negotiated, “We can’t allow this to affect us though...our friendship. Promise me. Promise me that we won’t let this take over and ruin our friendship.”

“I promise.”

“No one at the school can ever find out. This has to be our secret. We could get fired if anyone finds out. And no matter what happens, we have to find our way back to our friendship,” Jeongguk was almost desperate with his plea.

“I. Promise.” Jimin held up his palm and gave his word.

Jeongguk looked over at the box full of sin. It sat there seductively, beckoning them, “How do we…begin?”

“With consent, of course. Whatever we want, however we want it, all we have to do is ask. If the answer is no, then it’s no. But if the answer is yes…,” Jimin switched off the lights at his make-shift desk. “...if the answer is yes, then we go all in. For the next twenty-four hours, we live out our fantasies. And after it’s over, we’ll go back to our regular lives.”

“It’s not just about the penetration, so much of this is visual and mental.”

Jimin reassured him, “We’ll take it slow. Tell me what you like.”

“I feel drawn to bondage, seeing you tied up. I hope that’s not too honest,” Jeongguk gulped and closed his eyes. 

“I’m willing to try it, if you are.”

“The apron,” they both surprised themselves by saying it simultaneously. They laughed.

“We think alot alike. That’s a good sign.”

Jeongguk was starting to feel more comfortable sharing his naughty thoughts, “I like seeing you gagged,” he said without hesitation.

“Gagged? When did you discover that? And how?”

“The apple orchard. That’s when I realized that was one of my…my…my kinks.” Jeongguk didn’t know what other word to use for it.  “When you stuffed that apple into your mouth, it aroused me. I got so hard that I thought I was going to cum right there in the apple orchard. That’s why I ran away and pretended to go pee.”

“Fascinating. Well guess what? I really like being gagged. What else?” Jimin rushed him along. He was anxious to hear everything on Jeongguk’s mind.

“The handcuffs, the feathers.”

“Top or bottom?”

“Both. But top right now.” Jeongguk quipped.

“This is going to work out quite nicely,” Jimin evaluated. “Hold that thought.”

Jimin walked over to the kink box and opened it. He searched through the sea of pink erotic toys and found the ball-gag, and the feathers. “Come look. Is there anything else that you want to try?” He said quietly, seductively. 

Jeongguk leaned down on his knees and ran his hands through the plethora of toys. “Maybe this?” He pulled free a long roll of pink velvet rope. 

The fuzzy pink handcuffs were sitting on the desk. Jimin grabbed them and then placed all of Jeongguk’s chosen toys on the bed. 

They stared at them, each of them quietly sorting through their own thoughts. 

“I don’t know how any of this works.”

“We can figure it out by doing whatever feels good.”

“And if something doesn’t feel good, we stop?”

“Yes. That has to be the most important rule. I guess that’s what safe words are for? To keep us both safe and comfortable?” Jimin questioned.

“Delores.” Jeongguk suggested.

“As a safe word?”  

“No better way to break the mood and bring us back to reality than thinking about that old witch with the unibrow.”

“True. That will definitely kill the mood and get our attention. Delores it is,” Jimin agreed. He played with the rope in his hands. It was not conventional rope. It was made of ultra soft velvet that had been woven together. It felt incredible to the touch. “Do you know how to tie a rope?”

“On a person? Not really. I would imagine it has to be done carefully in order to be safe. I love the thought of seeing you wrapped and covered in knotted up rope. Safely and loosely of course.”

“We can figure out the rope play. Let’s keep that on the menu,” Jimin teased. His eyes scanned the line of toys again. 

Next, he picked up an apparatus that resembled a large feather duster. Thick and heavy, it was definitely constructed with feathers from a big powerful bird. The dyed feathers were a beautiful mauve pink.

“Yes?” Jeongguk smiled with excited eyes..

Jimin nodded. 

Awkwardness slowly crept back into the room as they tried to figure out how to transition. Crossing the line and taking the next step was easy to do when they were feeling like outlaw renegades, but not-so-easy after giving themselves permission to go at it. They were inexplicably frozen with shyness. 

 

Jeongguk mercifully broke the tension, “And you?” He asked. “What do you like?”

Jimin’s desires were more blunt and to the point, “To start, I want to see you undressed. All of you, right now, with no restrictions.”

It was a bold ask. Jeongguk’s tilted eyebrow was a sign of being caught off guard. After giving it a few seconds of thought, he decided to play the game. He stood to his feet, “May I undress for you? May I show you my - body?” He was all in, thanks to the whiskey.

Jimin gulped and blinked his eyes with the speed of a hummingbird’s wings, “Yes. Yes, you may. Please.” The thought of Jeongguk undressing in front of him warmed his blood.

The younger immediately pulled his shirt over his head and unbuckled his pants. He paused briefly  before dropping them to the ground, revealing that he wasn’t wearing underwear. Boldly, he stood there in the buff, allowing Jimin to survey his body. “Do you approve?”

Jimin cleared his throat. He really needed more whiskey. “I need to examine you a little closer before I can approve.”

“Examine me?” Jeongguk liked where this was going, “Ok then, may I place my dick in your hand, so you can…approve it?”

“Of course.” 

Jeongguk’s body was much more beautiful than Jimin could have ever imagined. He was clean-shaven with the exception of short hairs above his shaft and the trail of hair from his belly button. Both of Jimin’s hands were shaking as he reached out to touch him. He tried to calm his anxious nerves, fearing that he would appear inexperienced or frightened. Maintaining a controlled even response was important, even though he was freaking out on the inside.

The younger’s cock was warm and firm. It was at least seven inches, quite a surprise from Jimin’s point of view. He never knew the meek first grade teacher was packing such a punch underneath his jeans. He rubbed the shaft back and forth with his small hands and then dared to kiss the tip intermittently while he massaged him.

 Jeongguk watched every second of it. His eyes bore into Jimin as he surveyed his skillful handling of his cock. His long rigid monster slowly engorged as Jimin worked it. He wanted him to take it, suck it, lick it, swallow it. But permission for that had not been asked for, nor granted.

The night was already off to a roaring start, but Jimin had to remember that the tease was the object of the game. So, rather than risk pushing Jeongguk to orgasm too soon, he released him.

“Do you approve?” Jeongguk stepped back. He placed his hand over his cock and rubbed it to keep it hard so that Jimin could see it in its fullest glory.

“I-I definitely approve.”

“How else may I serve you?” Jeongguk was careful with his wordplay, seeking to edge himself into Dominance through overwhelming consent. Roles were slowly coming into clarity as they continued their coy exchange. “Let’s continue on our journey. You also don’t like body fluids, right?” Jeongguk queried as if seeking the answers to an exam.

“I think I could make an exception if they’re your body fluids,” Jimin stared directly into Jeongguk’s eyes.

Jeongguk laughed, “Noted. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of fluids to share once we get started.”

“I have to be able to trust you,” Jimin added.

“And I have to be able to trust you.”

“I want to kiss during the act…always kiss, kissing at all times, all of the kisses.”

Jeongguk found Jimin’s request endearing. Kissing was so intimate and loving. It seemed to contradict everything they knew about bdsm play. “...may I hold you in my lap?”

“Yes. You may.” Jimin climbed into Jeongguk’s naked lap as he sat on the bed. Carefully, he avoided sitting on top of the raging cock that bumped against Jeongguk’s stomach.

“And now, may I have your lips, Jimin?” Jeongguk controlled the pace and intensity of the act.

“Yes. You may.”

“May I kiss you back?” Jeongguk asked.

“No. Permission to kiss me back - is denied.” Jimin was stoic as he leaned in with his lips.

Jeongguk sat silently with Jimin on his lap. His mind heavily anticipated the soft touch as he waited for Jimin to execute the kiss. He tensed in astonishment when he felt Jimin’s mouth against his. The scrape of his cheek and the intimate heat of his breath sent an electric shock through him. He held his lips still, unable to move freely since he had not been granted permission to do so. 

The feel of Jimin’s soft pink lips were just as erotic as Jeongguk had imagined. He looked at him through half closed eyes, examining his perfect porcelain features as they glowed in the muted light. He could feel the tip of Jimin’s tongue against his lips, edging the smooth curve, leaving behind traces of sweet tasting moisture. The warmth of his mouth was mysteriously pleasant, leaving Jeongguk aching to catch each savory kiss and feed it back to him. But he didn’t because trust could only be gained through consent and he did not have consent to kiss him back. 

Jimin could sense Jeongguk’s growing tension; the way his lips quivered with restraint to avoid returning his kiss. Trust between two people in the midst of kink play was extremely important. And if Jeongguk could be trusted to restrain himself in an act as small as kissing, then much larger temptations could be safely placed in his hands. The trust was building.

Jimin was done with teasing him. He abruptly pulled away from the kiss long enough to deliver his message, “Permission granted to kiss me back,” he moaned into his lips. 

Jeongguk instinctively wrapped his arms around Jimin. He used his teeth to gently grab onto Jimin’s lip and pull him closer. He wanted to be inside of him, in his ass and in his mouth at the same time. But for the moment, he focused on his mouth. With the tenderness of a serpent he slipped his tongue between Jimin’s lips, reaching for the back of his throat. He massaged him with long waves of his tongue. Until Jimin’s tongue battled him back. With tongues rolling one over the other, dripping long strands of spit onto their chins. A deeply satisfying exchange emerged, confirming just how much they longed for each other. 

Jimin felt his control waning. “I need the handcuffs - put them on me, please.” Jimin’s eyebrows wilted as if he were going to cry. 

Jeongguk could see the eagerness in his eyes. “Handcuffed?” He innocently tilted his head like a child as he waited for consent.

“Yes.”

“Stand in front of me please. Put your hands behind your back.”

Jimin crawled out of Jeongguk’s lap. His hands were trembling once again as he stood in position. He placed his hands behind his back, holding as still as possible.

Jeongguk retrieved the cuffs. Still nude, he returned to the bed and rested his hands in his own lap. The pink fuzzy cuffs dangled between his fingers. Jimin still stood there with his hands resting in the small of his back, as he glanced towards the mirror which reflected their every move. Even through the distant reflection he could see Jeongguk’s crotch. He took careful notice of his erection which seemed to be growing larger by the second. 

“May I cuff you?” The request finally came.

“Yes, yes fuck yes. You may,” Jimin turned away from Jeongguk and faced the wall, with his hands still behind his back.

And with the click of the bracelets, everything changed, transitioning Jeongguk into a sexual thaumaturge of the moment. There was a palpable shift in the atmosphere as Jimin became a willing sub in a game where the only rule was consent. The clock started.

 

The feel of the soft cuffs instantly entranced Jimin. He squirmed, not because he desired freedom but because his arousal was beginning to peak. The sensation was delicious. He wondered if the simple act of being cuffed could make him cum.

“What else do you want?” Jeongguk asked the elder.

“I have a rule.”

“Go ahead, tell me.”

“I never want to be hurt and I never want to hurt you. Pleasure dominance, not pain,” Jimin explained. He turned around to face Jeongguk again, so they could make eye contact. It was important to him that they agree.  

“Agreed. I could never cause you pain. But I could watch you be pleasured for the rest of my life.” Jeongguk said lovingly. “But where, exactly, is that line between pain and pleasure for you?”

“Maybe that - over there.” With his arms bound behind his back, Jimin used his head to gesture towards the small pink crop that sat at the very top of the pile of toys. “Not too much, just enough.”

Jeongguk wasn’t sure about the crop. It seemed like a pain inducer. Everything he had ever read about painful kink play seemed to involve crops. Until that moment, neither of them had ever called it out as an acceptable toy. “This seems contradictory to your rule against pain. You sure about this? What if you don’t like it?”

Jimin lowered his head and confessed, “I’ve hit myself with it a few times. The leather is very light. The sting is brief but potent,” an impish smile spilled across his lips. His eyes hooded as he watched Jeongguk twirl the crop between his fingers.

“You do love to explore, don’t you? May I…strike you?”

“You may.”

Jeongguk was immediately drawn to the two perfectly round butt cheeks beneath Jimin’s sweats. The strikes needed to land right on that spot. Without adjusting Jimin’s pants, he unleashed two quick strikes against the fabric.  

Even though Jimin could barely feel the sting, his dick popped up. He looked to the left  and watched in the mirror as his co-worker walked behind him naked with the crop in his hands. 

“Would you like it again?” Jeongguk asked.

“Spank me. Please.”

 His instincts told him that Jimin needed just a little bit more. He pinched the elastic waistband of Jimin’s sweats and scooted them down just a few inches. It was just enough to expose Jimin’s lower back, where his ass began to curve. The perfect spot for another strike. Once again he unleashed four rapid strikes, each slightly more powerful than the last. 

“How does it feel? Too much,” Jeongguk asked tepidly.

“Like magic,” Jimin said shakily. He wanted another strike, but he didn’t want to linger in the moment for too long. 

“What else do you need?”

“To kneel, naked and vulnerable before you,” Jimin said with a sultry whisper. He was still wearing his pajama pants. 

Jeongguk had been so fearless with showing him his body that Jimin felt it was time to return the favor.

Jeongguk immediately followed up with, “May I undress you?”

“Yes. You may.”

Jeongguk grabbed the waistband of Jimin’s sweats and clamped it between his teeth. With a snap of his head, he yanked the pants down, allowing them to fall to Jimin’s ankles. 

“You’re so beautiful.” Jeongguk’s mouth dropped open as he stared for the first time at Jimin’s fully naked body. 

 Jimin’s cock was heavy and thick, stretching well below his groin, touching his upper leg. His thighs had a unique shape to them. Every single muscle and tendon beneath his skin flexed, stretched and curved like a sculpture. His skin was flawless from head to toe as if he were from a skincare magazine. Jeongguk searched his mind, trying to determine if he had ever seen a body as exquisite and finely detailed as Jimin’s. He hadn’t. He was a one of a kind ethereal beauty and Jeongguk wanted nothing more but to please him, watch him tense and writhe under the ecstasy of his touch.  

 

There wasn’t much more that either of them could take. Jeongguk went in for the kill, “May I place the gag?”

“Fucking yes. Please,” Jimin’s eyes fluttered. The gag was his absolute favorite. He was beyond thrilled to know that it did it for Jeongguk too. Happily he agreed, “Yes. You may.” 

The ball gag was attached to a pink silk scarf. Jeongguk placed the gag in Jimin’s mouth and then tied the soft scarf around his head. Jimin released a filthy muffled moan of pleasure even though he wasn’t being touched. He was ready to explode. His chest rose and fell in heavy even breaths as he waited for what was next. With a couple of loose lassos, Jeongguk wrapped the velvet rope around Jimin’s chest and hips. He knotted the rope in the back but it sagged heavily due to his refusal to pull it taut. 

Jeongguk then led him to the vanity where the mirror hung, “Look what we’ve done. Look at yourself.” Jimin stared at himself. He looked as if he were horrifically bound and gagged and in the throws of inhuman torture. When in reality, he had never felt more soothed, comforted, secure and safe in his entire life. The texture of soft fabrics against his body felt euphoric. He glanced at Jeongguk as he stood over his shoulder admiring him, “You are stunningly breathtaking. The first moment I saw you all those years ago, I knew you were God’s chosen one. So beautiful, so strong, powerful, yet so delicate. I’m so honored to be able to...to fuck you.” He smirked, “May I have you now?”

Unable to speak, Jimin simply nodded. That’s when Jeongguk suddenly disappeared, leaving Jimin there all alone to admire his beautiful juxtaposition in the mirror. Jimin was pleased. The ropes made him look very pretty. He didn’t know where Jeongguk had gone, but he appreciated the time alone to admire himself. 

Soon enough Jeongguk returned. Jimin’s eyes sparkled as he watched Jeongguk’s nude body maneuver behind him. Jimin felt a gentle push from behind that folded him over the dresser. His shoulder’s tightened in the position as the cuffs continued to drag his wrists. He lay there, head down and turned to the side, chest pressed against the cold wood of the vanity. He was quiet, with the only sound audible being the chattering of his teeth as he became more and more aroused. 

Jeongguk continued to move behind him, his actions hidden by Jimin’s own reflection in the mirror. Jimin’s pleasured moans echoed through the room. Jeongguk delivered endless kisses along the back of his neck and along his spine. Each one placed with the tenderness of a man in love or at least in deep lust. Within an instant, he felt Jeongguk’s fingers rubbing along his back, moving further and further down until they lightly bounced over his ass. 

“May I, prepare you?” He asked as his hand approached Jimin’s opening.

Jimin nodded with the gag still embedded in his mouth, disfiguring his lips and stretching the delicate skin along his cheeks. The breath rushed from his body the moment he felt Jeongguk splay him open. The younger one’s fingers battled against his virgin-like resistance, unrelenting in their intrusion. A driving pulse drummed in Jimin’s ears as pushed back against him. The pain was palatable, but his ever growing desire to orgasm, was not. Jeongguk worked his fingers in and out, lathering him in fruit scented oils. Jimin could feel his erection straining against the sagging ropes that Jeongguk had around him. With each move he made, the handcuffs countered, pulling at his shoulders and keeping him contained. 

The moment moved fast. Even though he knew what was happening and had given consent, he still found himself ill-prepared for the reality of the pleasure. He found himself pushing his hips outward, desperate to be mounted. His head popped up briefly just to watch his lover’s face in the mirror. By the time he laid it back down, there were three oil slicked fingers inside of him, digging into his flesh. His moans came one after the other, muffled, distorted, and loud. 

He felt Jeongguk hunch over him, hugging him from behind with his entire weight pressed against Jimin’s back. There were wild movements with his hands as he positioned his body and his cock for the attack. Jimin instantly felt the heat of his massive cock edging him, circling his entrance.

With a rush Jeongguk growled, “May I enter you…now?”

Jimin whimpered; too aroused to even offer a moan. The fingers inside of him were sending him into trance. His legs shook from the intensity of the pleasure. He lifted his head and stared into the mirror, searching for the reflection of Jeongguk’s eyes. “Yes,” he nodded voraciously, while pushing his ass out further for Jeongguk to feed it. He didn’t know what to expect or how hard he was going to be fucked. He could only pray that the young wild one didn’t draw blood.

 

It was too soon to enter him. Jeongguk knew that. Jimin’s body wasn’t ready because he hadn’t been conditioned enough. But neither of them had the patience to wait any longer. Watching Jimin writhe against his restraints while wrapped in beautiful velvet rope was porn worthy. Jeongguk couldn’t wait a single moment longer to take him. He fisted his cock and crowded Jimin’s entrance with his tip. 

His body shook with passion. The months of loneliness and opining over his ex, who didn’t deserve his love, all melted away with the first intimate taste of Jimin’s delicate body.  Feverishly, he buried his lips into Jimin’s shoulder, kissing every morsel of skin he could reach while the slow rotation of his hips began. Jimin was so incredibly tight, but he continued to push until he felt the tip of his cock pop through. He was inside. After several uncomfortable seconds, he finally bottomed out by sliding all eight inches of his cock into Jimin’s guts. For a brief moment he froze, frightened to move for fear of cumming too soon. It felt so good, so warm. It had been years since he’d been allowed to top. Half-conscious, he pulled out and then positioned himself to surge forward once again - but first he needed permission. 

“My entire dick is inside of you. You took me so well. May I pleasure you now?” he asked. He hovered over Jimin’s back, still bending him over the dresser. The elder’s wrists were still cuffed behind his back, causing his outstretched hands to rest against Jeongguk’s stomach.

Jimin nodded with consent. 

They had promised to never cause each other pain and Jeongguk wanted to keep his word. He listened for any sound of discomfort, or any sign of the safety word as his hips slowly rotated forward and he began to fuck him. Their bodies clapped against each other as the oil dripped down their thighs. 

Jimin was barely conscious. Layers upon layers of pleasure flowed through him, around him, within him. From the soft grip of the handcuffs, to the surly pull of the rope, to the air-inhibiting bulge of the gag, he was rapturous. The solid, unyielding cock inside of him filled his every need leaving, his knees shaking and his body trembling. Jeongguk’s strokes were just as thoughtful and caring as the man himself. Jimin could feel himself slipping. No matter how he tried to hold it in, he was ready to explode.

He pressed his face into the wooden desk as he bucked against each of Jeongguk’s strokes. His cock, pressed tightly against his thigh by the velvet rope, began to pulse. Jimin screamed from behind the gag. His orgasm hit him like a tidal wave. The erubescent rope marks covering his body seemed to quiver with his breaths as his cock erupted and white silky ropes of cum poured from his top. Jimin lay convulsing  with his head and chest pressed into the dresser; unable to even touch himself to extend his pleasure. He felt as if he were going to fall to the ground - knees weak and unstable. Once again he found Jeongguk’s eyes in the mirror as they bore down upon him. 

 

Jeongguk met his eyes with the glint of tenderness. He could see that Jimin was spent. The ropes, the handcuffs, the hard orgasm, it was all pulling from Jimin’s strength. He was surprised to see his beautiful lover climax so quickly. The highly coveted conquest was reduced to a wet, quivering, moaning mess. His long blonde hair lay tasseled over the wood, roots revealing the darkest brown. Sweat beaded along his sideburns and trickled down to the surface of the dresser leaving small impressions of his perfect jawline. Jeongguk felt incredibly fortunate to have him - even if it was for only 24 hours. 

“May I take over?” Jeongguk asked somewhat heroically.

Jimin nodded, barely, but he nodded. His entire upper body and all of his weight rested on the dresser because his legs were too weak to hold him up.

With a loud squelching sound, Jeongguk withdrew his cock. He scooped Jimin up into his arms and carried him to the bed. Pressing his lips over the ball-gag, he forced a kiss that didn’t make sense. But that was how dedicated he was to pleasing him. Lots of kisses, all the time with the kisses. Even with his mouth gagged, he kissed him.

To give Jimin a break, he laid him on the bed and then positioned him on his side. Jeongguk’s preference was to fuck him doggy style, but with Jimin’s wrists still cuffed behind his back, the position wouldn’t work. As he moved Jimin across the bed, the ropes slipped away from his body and gathered around his lower thighs. It didn’t matter, Jeongguk was too sexually intoxicated to even notice. 

“May I, may I have permission…,” he could barely speak, he wanted him so badly. 

“Yes,” Jimin mumbled from beneath the gag. He listed forward, leaning mostly on his stomach to present his ass once again.

Jeongguk’s large fingers slid up and down his shaft, spreading the oily lubricant back and forth over the skin. He slid in behind Jimin, cock in his hand as he lined his tip against Jimin’s entrance. With just the slightest pressure followed by a quick thrust of his hips, he was inside of him again. He threw his bulky leg over Jimin’s waist to hold him in place as he plowed into him. His thrusts were nuanced, deep and effective. He pushed through Jimin’s body gracefully, but with purpose. 

Jimin moaned again from the sheer artfulness of how Jeongguk fucked. He sucked in air through his nose as the younger quickened his strokes. He felt as if he were running a marathon, even though all he did was catch a very aggressive cock.

Seven strokes in, and Jeongguk was once again growling like a wolf. He released a hard grunt before ripping a string of profanities.’

“HOLYSHIT THIS IS FUCKING UNREAL!” He screamed. He wrapped his arms tightly around Jimin, holding him in place while his cock slid in and out of him sloppily, clapping against his plump ass cheeks. 

“May I cum? May I cum inside…?” He waited too long to ask because he was cumming whether Jimin approved or not. But even through his orgasmic malaise, he was prepared to pull out if that was what Jimin wanted. 

Without warning, Jimin shook his head NO. He gave a resounding no, even from beneath his gag. 

“WHAT? FUCK! FUCK!” Jeongguk screamed as he pulled his dick free. 

He was not pleased about having to pull out and cum on his own, but getting relief was all that mattered. To keep from losing his orgasm, he rolled to his back and stroked himself so fast and so violently that he shook the bed, slamming the headboard against the wall. Mere nano-seconds passed before Jimin crawled on top of him and positioned himself over Jeongguk’s cock again. His intentions suddenly became clear; he wanted to ride Jeongguk into orgasm and that was his favorite position. He squirmed a bit with the gag still in his mouth, hoping that Jeongguk would get the hint and lay his cock inside of him again.

Jeongguk hissed with delight. He absolutely understood the assignment. He grabbed his tip and worked it over Jimin’s entrance again and bucked his hips upwards until he was back in. His words arrived with a soft grunt, “May I cum inside of you?”

“YES!” Jimin mumbled with an affirmative nod. 

With his rope clad body, he bounced in short spurts over Jeongguk’s cock. He wasn’t able to take him as deep while riding him, but he moved fast, pulling the raw skin of Jeongguk’s cock in and out of his body. The handcuffs didn’t impede his agility. If there was anything he could do well, it was ride a dick. He peered down through the dim light into Jeongguk’s contorted face. 

Jimin’s thoughts swirled as he watched him orgasm. The younger was so fucking sexy with his mouth open, eyes closed, distressed dimples and heaving chest. Hands still cuffed in the small of his back, he bounced and bounced over Jeongguk’s twitching meat until mid-stroke, he felt a shot of warmth fill his hole followed by the gradual leaking of fluid that trickled down his leg. He angled slightly forward to kiss his gagged mouth against Jeongguk’s lips as the younger emptied his cock into Jimin’s body.

 

Jeongguk was speechless. His moans gradually transitioned into nothing but heaping gulps of air as his legs quivered. He wanted to open his eyes one last time to watch Jimin’s lassoed body bounce over him, but he couldn’t. The way Jimin fucked him left him crippled, unable to speak, move or even breathe. All he could do was lie there until his body regulated.

Regrettably, they had both agreed that there would be no cuddling or basking in the afterglow after kinky little fuck. To maintain the line between fuck buddies and friends, they were very careful to tamper down the emotions of it all. Catching feelings in the midst of what was supposed to be all about sex, was a key to disaster.

Jimin was so spent afterwards that he immediately fell asleep. Jeongguk took a brief nap as well but awakened a couple of hours later. Jimin was still wearing the pink fluffy handcuffs. Jeongguk stumbled around in the dark to find the key and then quietly removed them. The gag was still in place as well. Gently, without waking him, he removed that too. The ropes had fallen and posed no harm, so he left them bundled around Jimin’s ankles. And with one final gesture, he pulled the blankets over Jimin’s naked body and then lent one small loving kiss to Jimin’s wrists before heading back to his room. 

 

***

Jimin arose to find Jeongguk sitting by the fireplace reading a book. There was an empty bowl of cereal in front of him and a piece of toast. Jimin laughed. Quite possibly, the fiasco with the pancakes and the mixer had soured him on cooking any more fancy breakfasts. 

Fresh from the shower, Jimin allowed his shirt to billow open revealing his bare chest. His sweatpants that he typically slept in every night were covered in cum, a casualty of their raucous evening of kink play. So a pair of loose soccer shorts became his go-to loungewear. As he walked through the kitchen, he found a bowl of oatmeal, coffee, fruit and a glass of juice sitting on the table. 

Without looking up, Jeongguk spoke to him, “I heard you moving around. Figured you were awake, so I made you breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Jimin feathered his own dark hair as he looked down at the table.

The place setting for one was beautifully ornate in yellow and white hues. His bright yellow napkin had been folded into the shape of a swan and it sat next to a white porcelain bowl with yellow trim. Just to the right of his coffee, there was a large jar filled with freshly picked daisies. Written in honey on the surface of his oatmeal were the initials ‘JM’. The final thing that Jimin noticed was a small, carefully folded note that sat on an empty plate. It read, ‘Thank you for last night’. The entire set up was too sweet for words. He snapped a picture of the tablescape before sitting down.

Oddly, other than the kind gesture of breakfast, there was no immediate mention of the life-changing evening they’d had the night prior.. 

“Honey, butter, and raisins. Not too sweet. Not too hot. Did I get it right?” Jeongguk rattled off the recipe for how Jimin liked his oatmeal. “Good. I remember you talking about it over lunch last week.”

“And you committed it to memory? That’s so incredibly…thoughtful. And yes, that’s right. You got it exactly right.” He took a spoonful, “This is fucking fantastic. You really know your way around the kitchen. Everything you cook is delicious,” Jimin took a sip of coffee. The morning was starting off well, even though Jeongguk felt a little distant. 

They sat in silence for another half hour while Jeongguk continued to read and Jimin finished his breakfast. Without realizing it, he read Jeongguk’s note over and over. At the last read he noticed that the ‘o’ in Thank You was actually a little heart. Something about it made him feel warm and appreciated. Even though it had been a fabulous night for both of them, Jeongguk still showed appreciation. Jimin glanced over at him as he sat by the fireplace. It was at that moment that he knew his fellow first grade teacher was very special. Keeping their relationship purely sexual with no emotional attachment was going to be difficult. Finding their friendship again after all of this was over was going to be challenging too.  

Jimin wanted to talk about their incredible evening, boast about him and thank him too. He wanted to confess that he was the best lover that he’d ever had. He wanted to hold his hand, maybe kiss, maybe fuck once again. But instead, he followed Jeongguk’s context cues and proceeded as if nothing had happened. 

To pass the time, he stared down at his phone to check his text messages and emails. Then he examined his empty oatmeal bowl. After several lonely self-reflective minutes, he unexpectedly felt a gentle hand rest on the small of his back. Jeongguk pulled up the chair next to him and sat close. 

“Good Morning.” He opened Jimin’s shirt slightly, “May I examine you?” He asked.

“Examine me?” It took Jimin a few seconds to figure out what Jeongguk needed to examine. “Oh the marks,” he said as he followed Jeongguk’s eyes that were fixed on his chest. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. I bruise easily, even when there’s no pain. Even my pillow case can leave a mark if I’m not careful,” Jimin teased. 

“Is that a no?” Jeongguk rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin in his hand. There was a curious smile on his face, soft, delicate, sweet.

“It’s not necessary. But feel free to take a look. I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s nothing.” 

“I ran to the store this morning while you were still sleeping. I have some ointment that we can use to dress it. Is there anything that hurts?” Jeongguk asked with deep concern.

“I told you…nothing. The ropes were…,” he decided quickly not to say anything about the previous night. He wanted Jeongguk to bring it up first, “...I told you, I’m ok. You fixed me this lovely breakfast, flavored my coffee just right, squeezed my juice fresh and now you’re tending to my insignificant blotches. Sounds alot like Dom style aftercare of his baby sub,” Jimin teased. 

Jeongguk immediately released a laugh. The tension was broken. “I never officially claimed Dom status. I just want to make sure you know that I…care. Not just about your body, but about you. Forgive me for doting.”

“I had the most incredible time…honestly the best time of my entire life. No one has ever…,” he stopped again. He didn’t want to seem dick whipped. Even though he was absolutely dick whipped.

“It’s ok, I feel the same. I have something to say and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way or think that I’m weird,” Jeongguk grimaced.

“Yea, so by prefacing it that way, I’m going to think you’re weird and probably take it the wrong way,” Jimin shrugged. 

They shared another laugh.

“Ok, well fuck it. I’ll just say it. I wanted to care for you last night, you know, make sure you were ok. But by the time we finished, you were knocked out. I literally fucked you to sleep,” Jeongguk bragged. “I didn’t want to wake you, so I left - per our agreement.”

“Yes. Per our agreement,” Jimin nodded.

“As soon as I got back to my bed, thoughts started to roam through my head.”

“What kind of thoughts,” Jimin asked cautiously. “No regrets I hope.”

“No, not at all. Almost the complete opposite of regret, more like relief. Contentment. Satisfaction. Dare I say…happiness?” Jeongguk looked at Jimin’s bowl, “Want more oatmeal? I cooked it homemade, there’s more on the stove.”

“I would love more,” Jimin smiled and briefly rested his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder as a show of appreciation.

Jeongguk took Jimin’s bowl to fill it with more oatmeal, “Ok so here is the part that may sound a little weird. As I was laying in bed last night, I kept thinking about Yu-jon and our moderate life. I know, I know, it’s a terrible thing to think about after being with you. But let me explain. Me and him were together for almost two years. Probably would have made it to the two year mark if you hadn’t come along and shown me the light. Sex was always the glue that bound us. But being with you last night made me realize that our sex was never as good as it could have been because I was oppressed. Everything had to be by his rules, to his desire, to his satisfaction. Never had I ever been as free with him as I was with you last night. I feel like my entire life has changed. And nooooo, I’m not catching feelings,” Jeongguk turned his back to Jimin when he said the last part. He knew that his eyes would deceive him if Jimin could see them. “I’m just saying…thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for showing me a different path. Thank you for your open mindedness and acceptance of who I am. Thank you for bringing out the me in me. Fuck, I sound like a literal first grader. Sorry, my words don’t come out right sometimes. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.” Jeongguk placed a fresh bowl of oatmeal in front of Jimin.

“Oh I know exactly what you’re trying to say. I’m a better fuck than Yu-jon,” Jimin said matter-of-factly. “Kidding…but not really.” 

Jeongguk slapped him gently on the shoulder, “Be serious.”

“Ok, I’ll be serious. Since you opened the door to this conversation, I have something to say to you too. You have the most perfect stroke. The movement of your hips is magical and you know how to hit me in just the right spot. You took me to places I’ve never been physically or mentally. And it was only one fucking night. I envy Yu-jon having you as his tender, caring lover for two years. No wonder he was so triggered at the thought of you making love to me. He knew what I found out last night, we are a perfect sexual match. A perfect Yin and Yang, the sensual sixty-nine.” Jimin’s tone was deep; his voice raspy from the early morning fog.

“You sure your bruises don’t hurt?” Jeongguk ran the padding of his fingertips across the faint pink bruises on Jimin’s chest.

“I don’t feel a thing. They aren’t even bruises. They’ll be gone by noon today.” 

“I love seeing marks on you, that part is very sick and twisted and I probably need to seek therapy for it. But I don’t like the idea of causing you any pain or discomfort,” Jeongguk said softly. 

“We can lose the rope and the crop if you…,”

“No. If that’s what you want, then that’s what I’ll give you. But playfully, never with the intent of pain or leaving marks.”

“That’s fair.”

“And, how’s your back door?” Jeongguk took a sip of Jimin’s juice.

Jimin spit out his coffee and burst into laughter. “Oh now we’re getting into the juicy details. Well if you must know, my ass is gaped open like I fucked a baseball bat. But there’s no pain. Just a little emptiness. My body misses you already.”

“After one night?”

“After one incredible night.”

“May I kiss you?” 

“Yes. You may.”

Taking Jimin’s head in his hands, he sifted his fingers through his hair and scattered kisses across his mouth.

Jimin’s long soft eyelashes fluttered, finally collapsing shut as the warmth of Jeongguk’s velvety tongue greeted him. He slid his hands around him, over his broad muscular shoulders and then down his back. Parting his lips, he welcomed more and more of the younger’s tongue. They kissed and kissed until they instinctively separated. Frozen just inches apart, their eyes met. They weren’t just coworkers anymore.

***

Jeongguk was secured to the headboard. Not with the fluffy handcuffs that he loved to use on Jimin, but with the long strands of a pink feather boa. In accordance, he also had another pink boa tied around his neck. Thick individual feathers were strewn all over his nude body. The surface of the bed was also covered in feathers, creating a soft pallet beneath him that stimulated his skin. He loved being covered in soft things.

 Jeongguk’s arms were tied above his head, exposing his ribs, underarms and pelvis. It was a vulnerable position and he was completely under Jimin’s control. The velvet rope that had been the star of the previous evening, coiled around his ankles, securing him to the foot posts. His binds were inescapable, which was exactly as he wanted it. 

He stared at Jimin, eyes inexplicably drawn to the thick cock that dangled over his nuts. The elder was so dainty and delicate with a perfect balance of masculinity and braun. He was, in Jeongguk’s opinion, the perfect man.

 

Jimin stood over him wearing a pink silk robe that they discovered in the bottom of the kink box. It was too short and barely covered his crotch. The robe was definitely meant for a woman. But Jimin’s sleek muscular body slid into the fabric, gently stressing the seams around the chest and shoulders. His dick bounced against his balls as he sauntered around the room with the robe falling open. He paced back and forth between the kink box, pulling out all of the toys that matched his theme.

Jeongguk’s eyes watered as Jimin approached him once again. Before even being touched, he released a bevy of snorts and giggles in anticipation of the sensation. For some, what Jimin was doing to him could be considered a form of torture; even if it was a very pleasureable one. 

Jimin slapped the hard handle of the feather duster in his hand several times. He couldn’t contain his smile either. Something about making Jeongguk laugh, made him laugh. He asked for permission, “May I tickle you again?”

Through laughter, Jeongguk gave his consent, “Yes. You may.”

Jimin walked to the bedside and began moving the heavy feather duster in small circles around Jeongguk’s abdomen. The younger squirmed and burst into laughter. He was not able to get away because Jimin had him bound very sternly to the headboard. He couldn’t kick either, because of the velvet ropes around his ankles. The only thing he could do was - take it while laughing hysterically in the process. Jimin continued to twirl the feather duster in larger and larger circles until he was tickling him up and down his body. 

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Jeongguk screamed through laughter, “Stop. STOP!”

Jimin pulled the feather duster away immediately. He tried to hold it together, but he couldn’t stop laughing, “Who would have ever thought that tickling would be your kink,” Jimin teased him.

“More. Give me more.”

“May I tickle you again, Mr. Jeon?” Jimin asked.

“Please. More. Please.”

Jimin climbed on top of Jeongguk’s naked body and proceeded to tickle him again with the feather duster. He swirled it around Jeongguk’s chest and sides. The younger flashed all of his teeth as he tilted his head back with laughter. But this time, his body gave a different response. In the midst of his giggles, Jimin could feel the younger’s cock stiffen beneath him. The tickling was arousing him and the more Jimin tickled him, the harder his dick became.

“Fuck you really like this don’t you?” Jimin said as he felt Jeongguk growing rapidly beneath him. “May I blindfold you?”

“Oh that sounds absolutely filthy. Yes. Please, you have my overwhelming consent to blindfold the fuck out of me,” Jeongguk said joyfully, like a man who had been tickled into ecstasy.

The blindfold was chiffon, purposely designed to bind without leaving marks or damaging the skin. Still sitting on Jeongguk’s waist, Jimin leaned forward and slid it over his eyes. 

Jeongguk ogled Jimin as he drew closer. He greedily absorbed as much of his face and his body in the tight pink robe as possible before everything went dark. Jimin secured the blindfold around his eyes. The chiffon fabric was yet another sensation layered on top of being bound and covered with feathers. 

Jeongguk’s senses elevated immediately. The first thing he heard was the gang of crickets and frogs talking in the forest outside of their window. With a flare of his nostrils he breathed in the scent of lavender on Jimin’s skin. Goosebumps rippled along his arms and nipples. Never had he been so aroused. He anticipated Jimin’s movements as the elder glided over his body.

“My God I can’t take my eyes off you. You look so helpless and trapped,” Jimin said with a low gruff voice.

Jeongguk wasn’t sure what Jimin was doing but he could feel his weight shifting and moving over his torso. The soft slip of the robe trailed behind his body, rolling over Jeongguk’s skin. 

“You look hungry. It’s time for lunch. May I feed you?” Jimin’s words melted into moans as he stroked his own cock.

Jeongguk knew for certain that Jimin wasn’t talking about feeding him food. With his heightened senses, he could feel Jimin’s knees digging into the mattress on either side of his head. The fresh scent of lavender was immediate, telling Jeongguk that the other was straddling his head.

“Please feed me,” Jeongguk begged. 

“Open your mouth, please?”

Jeongguk opened his mouth wide. He extended his tongue with an invitation for Jimin to place the tip of his cock on the savory pink edge of his mouth. Jimin dropped the tip, allowing its full weight to fall over Jeongguk’s tongue. He playfully tapped it against his tongue, forcing him to acknowledge its girth.

“May I fuck your mouth, Jeonggukie,” Jimin asked.

“Careful. Careful…sucking dicks is my superpower.”

“Then be my hero,” Jimin moaned as he continued to rub his tip all over Jeongguk’s mouth as if he were applying lipstick.

“Yes. You have my permission.”

Jimin rose to his knees to stabilize himself. He placed his hand on his cock and slowly inserted it into Jeongguk’s waiting mouth. With a slow circling of his hips, he began his stroke. He placed his open palm behind the younger’s head, tangling his fingers through his long silky hair. Faster and faster his hips moved as he felt Jeongguk’s tight jaws collapse around his shaft. 

Droplets of precum fell onto Jeongguk’s teeth, allowing him to savor the slightly salted fluid of his beautiful lover. He pursed his lips, clamping them tight around Jimin’s erection. Without being able to see his progress, he carefully inched more and more of Jimin’s cock into his mouth until it was partially down his throat. He gurgled as Jimin insinuated himself into him. He was so wide. Jeongguk opened his mouth as far as it could go and he still could barely fit him. 

Pools of saliva coated Jimin’s cock as he rocked it back and forth. He grabbed the back of Jeongguk’s hair even tighter, squeezing and pulling at the root. Staring down, he watched his cock disappear as he pushed it all the way down Jeongguk’s throat. The younger one took all of Jimin’s cock with only a slight gag. He swallowed over it several times until it was fully inserted. He was a skilled deep throater. Definitely a super power.

“Fuck. You’re a demon.” Jimin swore as he felt his legs begin to tremble. He moved his hips ever faster as he watched the literal life be sucked from him. The mushroom tip bulged in Jeongguk’s neck. Jimin immediately caressed it. 

Jeongguk could feel his partner’s trembles. He knew Jimin was ready to cum. Once again he stretched his mouth to accommodate every inch of Jimin’s meat. He bobbed his head back and forth, allowing spit to drip from his chin while preparing to catch his load of cum. 

“Suck it. You suck it so good. Eat your lunch baby,” Jimin spewed filth as he thrusted his hips in and out of Jeongguk’s mouth. “May I cum in your mouth. May I?”

Jeongguk nodded his approval with a mouth full of wet dick. He moaned sultry moans just to push Jimin even further.

Jimin released immediately thereafter. His pleasure condensed into a body seizing spasm. He jerked against him with several loud moans as wild shudders ripped through him and his inner thighs contracted. 

So much cum squirted in Jeongguk’s mouth that he had to swallow to keep from drowning. With his hands tied and feet bound, he couldn’t grab him or hold on to him. He longed to see Jimin’s face, study his orgasmic expression. Playing the role of Jimin’s little pleasure bunny was deeply satisfying. 

Jeongguk felt him pull away, removing his slimy cock that was covered in a combination of spit and cum. All at once, he was at his lips kissing him, sucking his tongue, tasting the traces of his own cum that lingered in Jeongguk’s mouth.

“That really is your superpower,” he whispered into Jeongguk’s lips. “You drive me crazy. I’ll never get over you. I’ll never forget these moments together.”

Blindly, Jeongguk jetted his lips forward, searching for more kisses. But Jimin was gone. Within a few seconds he was back. The fresh smell of vanilla lube layered over his existing lavender scent. Jeongguk felt him crawling up his legs again, with the silk robe still trailing behind him. The warmth of his crotch settled over his stomach as he sat on top of him, ready to do terribly naughty deeds.

Despite having a powerful orgasm, Jimin was still softly erect. Jeongguk could feel his cock leaking on his abs. “It’s your turn now. Your cock is very eager.” Jimin twirled the feather duster over Jeongguk’s shaft before kissing it. “I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel. May I…push you inside of me?”

“Yes.” 

Jimin positioned himself. He leaned forward and engaged in another kiss as he fisted Jeongguk’s cock and worked it through his hole.

“Oh God…,” Jeongguk shivered.

With the feather duster still in his hand, he tickled Jeongguk’s nipples as he began to bounce on top of him. 

“Oh GOd, Oh GOd, OH GOD!” Instinctively Jeongguk tugged at his feathery boa restraints and tried to grab Jimin’s waist to keep him from bouncing too fast. “Jiminie, baby, slow, slow I’m going to burst….ahh fuck!”

Jimin bounced faster with an evil taunt of, “May I make you cum? May I ride you until you cum inside of me? Do I have your permission to fuck you until you scream for mercy?” He tickled Jeongguk’s chest and neck with the feather duster.

“YES! YES YES YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSS!”  Jeongguk screamed his consent while squirting a geyser into Jimin’s ass. His body tensed as more and more of his milky fluid rushed through his tip. 

Jimin leaned forward and kissed his open gaped mouth despite the younger being trapped in the throws of orgasm and completely unable to kiss him back. He lost himself in the kiss, idly toying with Jeongguk’s hair while drifting his fingers throughout the lustrous strands. He continued to work his ass over Jeongguk’s cock, allowing the feather duster to hang loosely from his hands.

It was only after the orgasm subsided that Jeongguk was able to kiss him back. He kissed him passionately, lifting his head from the pillow to chase his lips. The feather boa pulled him back. They moaned into each other’s mouths, while Jeongguk’s cock still lay firmly implanted in Jimin’s ass. Once again, Jeongguk’s fluids dripped from Jimin’s opening. He was so entranced in the kiss, he didn’t care about the mess they had made. Kisses, always, all the time was Jimin’s motto. He loved kissing Jeongguk’s lips, and his cheeks, and his eyebrows, and his forehead and his neck and his nipples and his shoulders and…

***

Chapter Six - The Sensitivity

 

Hours and hours passed with them locked inside of the bedroom sampling every single toy from the kink box. Some they liked, others they didn’t, but it was all experimental fun that neither took too seriously. Twenty four hours. In retrospect it seemed ridiculous to only give themselves such little time. They felt a desperate need to cherish every second because time moved like the enemy.

It was almost evening and they were both dead asleep. Crackling outside of the window caused Jeongguk to awaken. He opened his eyes to find a large set of black eyes staring back at him. He startled before realizing it was a family of deer peering through the window. They galloped off as soon as he stared back at them. Jeongguk was sure that the smallest deer was the same tan one he had seen in the woods a couple of days earlier. He laughed. The idea of deer watching him and Jimin through a window like some pornographic peeping Toms was hilarious in his mind. He only hoped that the smaller ones were forced to look away during the really naughty parts..

He took a moment to assess himself. He was sore, achy and tired. His cock was wilted, laying at the opening of Jimin’s ass. He and Jimin were handcuffed together and attached to the bed. There was lube everywhere and the potent smell of vanilla. Jimin had feathers braided into his hair and fringe tassels attached to his nipples. Etched red marks were all over Jimin’s skin. It was a bonafide sexual circus and he had no immediate memory of how they had gotten into that position - but he liked it.

He needed food. His mouth was dry and full of an interesting taste that he could only assume was Jimin’s cum. Again - he liked it. Before crawling partially out of bed, he took a precautionary glance towards the window to make sure that the peeping porn deer hadn’t returned. They were clear, so he proceeded.

He could only go so far because he was cuffed to Jimin and the bed. The key was a few inches away so he crawled his foot over the carpet and extended as far as the restraints would allow him to go. He managed to work the pink heart shaped key between his toes and pull it back. After a few contortions, he got himself unlocked and released Jimin from the headboard. 

Jimin never stirred. He was sleeping so peacefully that Jeongguk wanted to admire him again. He ran his hand across his hair, pulling the feathers away and wiping the bangs from his eyes. His cheeks were just the slightest tint of rose and they begged to be kissed. ‘Kisses, always, all the time’, Jimin’s words played in his head as he thought back over their last hours together. His lips pursed as he reached down to deliver the small kiss to his sleeping beauty. 

Suddenly, a pair of hands clamped tight around his neck pulling him down. Jimin giggled as he forced him back to the bed and rolled over the top of him, “I’m not letting you get away.”

Jeongguk countered, “I wouldn’t dare try to get away from you. I was simply going to the kitchen to fix some dinner. We haven’t eaten since this morning. We’ve literally been wrapped in velvet ropes for the last twelve hours. We need sustenance.”

“Actually, you’re right, I am hungry. The last thing I ate was the oatmeal you fixed this morning. Great. So what’s for dinner? Can I help cook?”

“Beef shish kabobs and Pasta Carbonara. I had everything delivered yesterday morning before I wandered off into the woods. And I would love for you to help cook, but I think we need to shower first. My seed is oozing from your ass,” Jeongguk laughed.

“That is so very unromantic when you say it that way,” Jimin turned his head over his shoulder to try to look at his own ass. 

“Good because no romance is allowed. Sex only - those are the rules.”

“The rules.” Jimin tried to get up but he was so sore that he could barely move. “A little help?”

“Oh baby, I fucked you up didn’t I?”

“Judging from the looks of it, I fucked you up too. We’re so good together,” Jimin laughed as he leaned on Jeongguk to help himself stand.

“Meet you in the kitchen in about twenty minutes?”

“Make it thirty. I think I need to soak,” Jimin shuffled his feet like an old man as he sorted through his luggage for fresh clothes. 

“Thirty it is,” Jeongguk leaned in close. He spoke through a joyful smile, “Kisses, always, all the time.” They shared an osculatory moment before heading to their separate bathrooms.

***

Jeongguk had the music blasting. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, ‘Die with a Smile’ played as he chopped onions, garlic and parsley. He sang with his soft voice, hitting every run with pinpoint precision while the spaghetti came to a salty boil. 

He smiled as soon as Jimin entered the kitchen. Stabbing the knife into the chopping block, he dropped the parsley and ran to Jimin and grabbed him, forcing him into waltz position. He pranced him around the kitchen singing to him. Jimin was swept off of his feet as Jeongguk danced with him in his arms. They did a few twirls before Jeongguk dipped him, arching him all the way back before snapping him back up and pressing their chests together again. As the song crescendoed, so did Jeongguk’s moves. 

Jimin couldn’t stop laughing. He was completely overwhelmed. Jeongguk had always been somewhat of a serious soul, the classic overthinking anxiety filled perfectionist. Jimin had never really experienced much of his playful side. 

“It’s nice to see you opening up. You’re happy, aren’t you?”

“Nah, just practicing for the first grade dance next month,” Jeongguk released Jimin. “Kisses, always, all the time.” He planted a kiss on Jimin’s cheek. “Thank you for the dance,” he bowed before going back to chopping his parsley.

Jimin had no words. Something deep within his soul stirred everytime he looked at him. The crush was no longer a crush, it was something more and it had nothing to do with the sex. He leaned against the counter, not even realizing that he was still staring.

“Take a picture. It’ll last longer,” Jeongguk danced over to Jimin and dropped an apron over his head. “Get to work dude. You need to start on tenderizing the beef kabobs.”

Jimin snapped to attention. “Yea, sure.” He looked down at the apron. It was different from the one that had almost gotten him killed. The strings were short and easy to tie and the apron fit him well. “Where should I start?” 

“Open the packets. The beef kabobs are already constructed. All you have to do is season them and toss them in the pan with a little oil.”

“That’s easy enough.”

“Taste this.” Jeongguk dipped his pinky into his carbonara sauce and placed it in front of Jimin’s mouth. 

Jimin licked out his tongue and used the very tip to pull the sauce from Jeongguk’s finger. “Oh that is so fucking good. My God you can cook so well.” He went back to that same finger again and sucked the rest of it off.  But even after the sauce was gone, he refused to let Jeongguk’s finger go. He pushed the entire finger into his mouth and began to suck it like it was a lollipop.

Jeongguk stood there, indulging him, watching his lips as they puckered around his long thin finger. His cock was sore and the last thing he needed was another erection, but watching Jimin give his finger a blow job was giving him another erection.

“Your beef needs to be browned,” Jeongguk reminded him. He slowly pulled his finger from Jimin’s mouth and then stuck it into his own mouth to lick away Jimin’s spit.

The playlist switched to Hip Hop which de-romanticized the mood momentarily. They were able to get their dinner cooked and then sit down for nice conversation. Jimin built a fire as the chilly evening set in once again.

“I think a family of deer watched us fuck,” Jeongguk said spontaneously.

“Deer? Watched us…fuck?” Jimin squinted his eyes and tilted his eyebrows. He was confused. “The entire family, even the doe?”

“I’m afraid so. I woke up and they had their noses pressed against the window. I think the daddy deer was jerking off with his hoof. You should close the curtain to your room. They can’t be trusted.”

Jimin fell completely onto the floor. He couldn’t even get up because he was laughing so hard. As was the pattern, when one of them laughed, it automatically made the other laugh. “Not the buck jacking off!” 

“Would you please get off of the floor and eat your dinner? I worked hard shredding all of that cheese,” Jeongguk giggled.

Jimin climbed back into his chair. He immediately slurped up his Carbonara pasta and began moaning as if he were having yet another orgasm. “WHY IS EVERYTHING YOU COOK SO DELICIOUS?” He screamed across the dinner table and pounded his fist.

“I thought about being a chef. Decided to teach instead. Maybe after I retire from the classroom, I can go to culinary school or something.” Jeongguk shifted to a different topic, “Did you see your email from the school board?”

“Email?”

“Our hearing has been set for next week, two days after we return from suspension.”

“That was fast. Still think we should fight it?”

“I do. But like I said, if you want to move to a different school after we win, then I don’t blame you. In fact, I’ve been wondering if I should look for another school too. Being with you has given me a fresh outlook on everything. I lied when I told you that I loved my job. I don’t. I love the kids, but hate the administration. Just like my life with Yu-jon, I’m settling by staying. The board refuses to hold Principal Han accountable for her reign of terror and I just can’t understand why. I probably should find another school, but something is holding me back. It’s like I’m hoping things will change even though I know they won’t.”

Jimin reached across the table to hold Jeongguk’s hand, “You’re worried about someone finding out about us?”

“Maybe that’s a part of it. But not because I want to hide this, but because I don’t. My personal life is my personal life. The school shouldn’t be able to dictate who I date and who I don’t. During my student teaching days, many of the schools had husband and wife teams working together as teachers. It’s a dumb rule to say that teacher’s can’t date each other. The rule is nothing but manufactured nonsense from a lonely old creature who’s never known love.”

Jimin choked on his wine, “Whoa…whoa…we’re not dating. We have no plans to date. This is a twenty-four hour fling, most of that time is already up. Don’t make this more than what we agreed to.”

Jeongguk had the expression of a scolded puppy. He tried to recover, “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it. My point is, my personal life is not anyone’s business but mine. I want to work at a school that respects those boundaries.”

“I didn’t mean to sound harsh, I didn’t…,”

“Oh but you’re right. Twenty-four hours, that was the deal. That was the deal.” Jeongguk leapt from his seat, “I need more wine.”

***

Jimin spent the remainder of the evening trying to demystify his words. It didn’t matter. Jeongguk was affected by them and no amount of back-peddling was going to make him feel better. They sat in silence, Jimin sitting on the couch and Jeongguk laying on the floor in front of the fireplace as they watched the local news. 

“Dinner was incredible,” Jimin offered.

“Thanks,” Jeongguk said dryly.

“Have you started your certification work yet? I started but didn’t get past the practice quiz before I, um, lost focus.”

“I’ll start tonight.” Jeongguk scrolled through his phone, refusing to look up while Jimin was speaking. 

“I hurt you. I’m sorry. My words were too harsh and I didn’t mean it that way. I would love to date you. I would be honored to date you. I’ve had a thing for you since the summer. But you, yourself said that was not possible. It’s your rule Jeongguk, not mine. You can’t be angry because I decided to follow your rule.”

“The last…,” Jeongguk checked the time on his phone, “...twenty hours were incredible. We took advantage of every hour, every minute, every second and that’s how it was meant to be. But now it’s time to go back to the way things were. I’ll keep those memories of you forever. But our friendship has to come first. So thank you for respecting that.”

“It wasn’t just sex.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was more to our hook up than just sex. We felt things that we never felt before with anyone else. I had the best time of my life. Thank you Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk moved on to a happier topic as a way of acknowledging Jimin’s apology. “We’re joining a painting class tomorrow.”

“Painting? But I don’t know how to do that.”

“That’s the fun of it. No one in the class does. We sip fine wine and follow the teacher’s instructions. At the end we have a painting that should closely resemble the one she put together. It’ll be fine.”

“That’s very original. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that before. Perfect first date kind of vibe.”

“Except it’s not a date. I had to find something to replace the skinny dipping and the couples massage. This was the only thing available.”

“Right.”

“I’m pretty tired. We had a very long, complicated night. If you don’t mind, I’m going to bed,” Jeongguk said brightly.

Just like that, the conversation turned sterile. Their twenty-four hours of sexual bliss were over and both of them were committed to going back to the way things were.

“Before you leave, can I say just one thing?”

“You can say anything you need to say,” Jeongguk smiled. 

Jimin bent to one knee and sat in front of him. “No one has ever touched me the way that you touched me. It’s been months since I’ve even been with anyone. You healed something inside of me. Something that I didn’t even know was broken. You keep giving me so many accolades and thanking me for the experience, but it’s me who needs to thank you. My last relationship was somewhat abusive, verbally. He made me feel like I had no value. At least Yu-jon loved you. My ex was only with me because I made him look good, successful, competent, humane. Everyone saw me on his arm and automatically thought the best of him. I was used for years as a status symbol. But at the end of the day, he never really loved me for me. I’ve been alone ever since, too afraid to step back out there and date again. There are no coincidences in life. At the time that it happened, I thought slipping on that puddle of vomit marked the worst day of my life…until you came along and lifted me out of the putrid mess. Somehow the universe knew that I needed you to be the one to lift me up. Only you could help me to my feet and send my life bounding in a completely new direction. And you’ve been doing it ever since.” Jimin stared down at his hands as he closed his soliloquy, “As this little twenty-four hour experiment comes to a close, I just want to thank you for granting me this wish. I feel so alive. My ass hurts, but that’s a good thing.” He laughed. “With a snap of our fingers, we can now be friends again. It was good to get the sexual tension out of the way. I’m sure we’ll both go on from here and eventually find our soulmates. And when you do, I’ll be there at your wedding, cheering you on and giving inappropriate toasts and praying for your forever happiness. But from this day forward, this trip will always be our most cherished little secret. Our forever secret.” Jimin gave Jeongguk one last kiss - on the cheek.

***

Jeongguk sat at his computer at the tiny desk in his bedroom. He tried to open the certification app, but his mind just wasn’t there. He was still reeling, thinking about the truths that Jimin had been so brave to share with him. Being in an abusive relationship of any kind was traumatizing. Never would he have imagined that it was part of Jimin’s past. His heart ached for him. There was so much clarity around his guarded exterior and his inability to let people in.

Jeongguk spoke sadly to himself as he sorted the pics of Jimin at the apple orchard, “If I were there, I would have protected you. I would have never allowed anyone to belittle you.” He rubbed his tired eyes as he slammed his computer shut. 

WHO, by Lauv blasted through his headphones. For some reason, the lyrics made him feel like crying even though he had listened to the song hundreds of times before. In his mind, he placed both he and Jimin inside of the lyrics. They had both experienced the pain of waking up next to someone who they thought they loved, only to find out they were a stranger - a stranger they hated. He listened to it on repeat at least five times before heading to bed. 

But when he turned down the sheets, he noticed a folded piece of paper lying on his pillow. Written in Jimin’s handwriting were the words: To my best friend. He rushed to open it, slightly worried about what Jimin had to say that he couldn’t tell him in person. A single daisy fell from the folded crease. The note was simple but beautiful.

 

Jeongguk,

You thanked me, and now it’s my turn. I’m not sure that saying thank you is enough to express my gratitude. You have been the light in the dark forest. The one that led me home. What you gave me was more than just sex, it was an escape; a retreat from the dark recesses of my mind. You’re a reminder that good still exists in this world. With you, I experienced the honesty of your soul, the integrity of your character and the love in your heart. You made me feel appreciated, strong and sexy; something that had long been missing in my life. It was an honor and a privilege to share that side of you. And although I’m sad to see our moment come to an end, you will live inside of me forever.  

 

Thanks for last night - Jiminie

Jeongguk raised the letter to his lips. Possibly it was just his imagination, but he was sure that he could smell the faint hint of lavender. He placed the note down on his desk and rushed to check his phone. It was 9:45pm. Incredibly, they still had three hours left on their twenty-four hour agreement. Jeongguk made the decision not to waste time. He ran to Jimin’s room and knocked on the door that was slightly ajar. 

Jimin was lying on his back, reading a book. His signature pajama pants had been washed and dried and he was once again wearing them to bed. 

He looked up, “Jeongguk? Is everything alright?”

Jeongguk stared down at the floor, eyes slightly unfocused. “We technically have three more hours. I want the last three hours.”

Jimin sat up, wide eyed, “You mean…more kink play?”He was confused. They had already closed that chapter so why was Jeongguk bringing it up again?

“No. That’s not what I mean at all. I want to use our last three hours to be more than friends. No sex. Just the emotional support that we both need right now. I want to be your comfort and I need you to be mine.”

“And how do you suppose we do that?” Jimin asked seriously.

“May I come in?” Jeongguk didn’t dare breach the threshold to Jimin’s room without his permission.

“Of course you can come in.”

He walked softly, looking completely past the kink box that lay open with all of their toys in it. He wasn’t interested in that, not this time. He crawled into Jimin’s bed and scooted behind him. 

“May I be your big spoon?”

“No.” Jimin said immediately.

“Sorry, ok, I overstepped. I know this wasn’t part of our agreement. I just wanted to…well I feel like…forget it…forgive me..,”

“You overthink everything,” Jimin smiled and gently caressed Jeongguk’s chin. “I said no because  I want to be - the big spoon.” A small laugh escaped him.

Jeongguk was relieved. He released a large breath and laughed along with Jimin, “I do sorta’ have a tendency to think too much.” He shrugged.

 Jimin climbed over Jeongguk to lay behind him. He slung his leg over his body and moved in close to place his arm around him. He snuggled his soft hair into Jeongguk’s back and breathed him in. “Let’s make this an incredible three hours.”

***

 

The following morning marked the fourth day of their vacation. Jimin was the first to arise. Even though Jeongguk had planned to visit Jimin’s room for only three hours, they ended up falling asleep in each other’s arms. It was exactly what they had fought so hard to avoid because it very much felt like - feelings.

Jimin knelt down in front of the kink box. He smiled with fond memories at the feathers and fluffy handcuffs that had dominated them for the last twenty-four hours. But sadly it was time to move on. He packed everything neatly inside and then closed it. That phase was over - forever. 

“Hey. What time is it?” Jeongguk stirred. He looked around the room as if he were surprised to find himself in Jimin’s bed.

“Uhhh, 10:30,” Jimin responded.

“We better get dressed. Our painting class starts in an hour. Can I make you some coffee?”

“I already did. It’s on the nightstand next to you. Americano with ice.”

“You remembered?” Jeongguk smiled with surprise.

“You’re worth remembering.”

Jeongguk spoke quietly, “About last night. Thanks for letting me hang out here. I don’t know what came over me. I just didn’t want to be alone.”

Jimin picked up the kink box and placed it in the closet. From his perspective, it was best to get it out of sight. “I liked having you here. But…,”

“But…what?”

“Nevermind.”

***

Jimin played all of the music they loved during the one hour car ride, but the mood wasn’t quite the same. A hint of melancholy was in the air. They both felt it, but neither addressed it. There was no need because they understood why it existed.

“The friendship is the most important thing,” Jeongguk said randomly as they pulled into the parking lot of the Paint and Sip Craft Center. 

“I know.”

“I can’t lose your friendship. I can’t.” Jeongguk parked the car and stared straight ahead. His heart wasn’t really into painting. His deepest desire was to take Jimin back to the cottage and fuck him over and over and over again, and then fall asleep in his arms. But that wasn’t possible, not anymore. He gripped the steering wheel hard, closing his eyes as visions of Jimin’s nude, bound body flashed before him.

“We won’t, no matter what happens, we won’t,” Jimin popped open the car door and stepped out quickly. 

Winter was coming and the weather seemed to get colder each day. He wrapped his scarf around his neck and popped his coat collar before pushing Jeongguk quickly into the building.

 

The Paint and Sip was located in an old warehouse further up the mountain. The inside walls were made of exposed brick with large steel pipes that ran overhead. The building was reconstructed from an old railroad station. The far wall was covered from top to bottom with endless shelves of fine wine. It was one of the most extensive collections of wine that they had ever seen.  Large picture windows allowed the sun to blaze through the room, creating a brilliant glow. And an old wood burning stove sat in the far corner, providing heat for the entire room. Once again they had stunning views of the city below. 

“This place is really nice. So cozy. I think I could be inspired to paint,” Jimin said as he removed his coat.

“Where do you want to sit?”

“Towards the back so that we can pass notes and talk shit about the instructor.”

Jeongguk couldn’t help it, he laughed. Jimin was the best at lightening the mood. 

 

“Good afternoon students. Please find a seat,” A rotund man with a large paint pallet resting on his thumb, walked through the room greeting all of the guests. “As soon as we are all seated, we can begin wine selection. There is a wine menu at each easel. Take a few minutes to review and a server will be around shortly to take your order.”

“This is really cute,” Jeongguk crinkled his nose. “Oh look Jimin. I guess that’s the object we’re going to paint today.” He pointed towards the front display.

“A sunset? I expected something a bit more avant garde.”

“My guess is that avant garde is a bit much for beginners,” Jeongguk could feel his mood start to lift. The painting date was exactly what they needed to get them out of the house and away from that box of sin.

They studied the wine menu for about ten minutes before ordering. Each easel was equipped with all of the paint colors they needed, brushes, a canvas and written instructions on how to execute the brush strokes. It seemed simple enough.

They sipped their wine as they carefully followed the instructor’s directions. The conversation was routine as they talked about lesson plans and merit scores. The exercise was soothing, giving them an outlet for all of the angst they had been feeling earlier in the day. 

But Jeongguk had something that he needed to ask; a question that had burned in his head all night. “Why have you never mentioned your relationship before? The terrible situation with your ex…?”

Jimin’s brush continued to casually glide along the canvas. Jeongguk couldn’t see his canvas because of how they were seated, but it seemed to him that Jimin was dipping his brush into all of the wrong colors and at all of the wrong times.  Jeongguk didn’t judge. Freedom of expression was just as much of an art form as following the instructor. 

The question didn’t bother Jimin at all because he had a simple answer, “I’m not particularly fond of talking about the worst era of my life,” he explained.

“Then why did you tell me? Why did you share such a private situation?”

“Because you make me vulnerable. I feel safe with you.” Jimin stopped painting long enough to turn and look at Jeongguk. “Remember that night in the bar where I almost kicked Yu-jon’s ass?”

Jeongguk laughed, “The night he accused me of cheating. I sure do. That was epic. I never knew you had that much fight in you.”

Jimin continued, “I normally don’t. It takes alot to push me that far. But, at that moment, I saw myself in you.  It was all too familiar. The way he spoke to you. The gaslighting. The disrespect, making you think that everything was your fault. It was textbook verbal abuse. I felt like I was witnessing my ex all over again. I wanted to stand up for you the way that no one ever stood up for me. I was so angry, so angry. I could have killed him.”

“You wanted to protect me? Funny because last night after you told me about your ex, all I could think about was how I wished I had been there to protect you.”

“If I had had you as a…friend…back then, I would have never ended up with that guy in the first place. You would have saved me from him simply by not being him.” Jimin refocused on his painting, “We have a deep serendipitous bond. That’s how I knew that our little sexcapade wouldn’t destroy our friendship.”

“The universe wants us to be together. How we chose to be together is up to us. Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s what I think. Yes.”

The instructor demonstrated another brush stroke, this one was much more complicated than the last. It took Jeongguk several times to get it right. Jimin however, seemed to nail it on the first attempt. Jeongguk was anxious to see his painting because while the rest of the class struggled with the techniques, Jimin seemed to grasp them with ease.

“So are you saying that Yu-jon was abusive to me?”

Jimin stopped painting to gaze at Jeongguk again. He was hesitant to answer.

“Do you?” Jeongguk repeated, even though he already knew the truth in his heart.

“I’m just an outsider looking in. I don’t know the intimate details of your relationship. I only know what you told me and…what I saw with my own eyes. The day he caught us in the apartment, the same day you two broke up, I was terrified of what he might do. When you didn’t return to school after lunch, I panicked. I drove by your apartment everyday, praying for a sign of you, hoping that you were ok. The way he screamed at you even with me standing right there, it was the behavior of someone who was unhinged. His reaction was way over the top. I was so fucking worried that he might hurt you. Things between me and my ex never got physical. He was too smart for that. But he could be vicious with his words. I saw that same behavior in Yu-jon. The signs of an abuser. For instance, he used money to control you. Buying all of your clothes. Never allowing you to have anything of your own and putting himself in the position as the only provider. He controlled you with the constant threat of taking away everything he’d given you, therefore making you feel dependent upon him. The apartment was his, the furniture was his, the liquor was his. It was so controlling and you hated it. And then the way he dominated you sexually, forcing you to bottom when that’s not what you always wanted. I bet he thought when he kicked you out that you would come crawling back to him. But you never did, because you were much stronger than he expected you to be. I witnessed your efflorescence the moment you got away from him. I can’t say for certain that he was abusive, it’s not fair for me to make that conclusion. Only you know the answer to that question. But I can say that all the signs and behaviors were there.”

“That’s why you were so happy to see me when I came back to school?” Jeongguk asked sadly.

“Yea. I prayed everyday that you were ok. I begged Principal Han to tell me where you were and if you had called. She said it was none of my concern and to worry about my own affairs. I just…thank God that you came back to me…I mean back to the school.” Jimin wiped a tear away from his cheek. Somehow their conversation had become much more reflective and sullen than they meant for it to be. He returned to his painting.

Jeongguk did not regret broaching the topic. The things Jimin said needed to be said. He reflected carefully upon Jimin’s words. Patterns and similarities all mixed together in his head. A clearer picture of Yu-jon suddenly emerged. “Did you know at the time, what was happening to you?”

“Nope. It took time and distance to figure it all out. I stormed out one night after he embarrassed me at a party. He called me names and made baseless accusations in front of all our friends. He belittled me and dragged me for  laughs; all because one of the hosts was flirting with me. I was humiliated. I left and stayed gone for three weeks. I went to visit my sister and it was only after talking to her that I realized what a malignant tumor he was in my life. He begged me to come back. I came back alright - and then packed my shit and left fifteen minutes later. That was two years ago. I haven’t dated since.”

“Did you love him?” Jeongguk asked.

“About as much as you loved Yu-jon.”

Jeongguk shook his head. He was so riveted by Jimin’s conversation that he completely missed ten minutes of the painting instructions from the teacher. He had fallen behind.  Jimin continued his painting even though he too had missed all of the instructions. Jeongguk strained to try to see Jimin’s canvas, but Jimin turned it even further away to make sure that he couldn’t see any of it.

Jeongguk continued, “My God. Now it all makes sense. You make sense. The months after I broke up with Yu-jon, you showered me with kind thoughts, compliments, and reminders of my self-worth. You convinced me to appreciate my value and you motivated me to find my own happiness within myself. You knew that if I loved myself, I would never go back to him.”

“All I wanted to do was remind you of how incredible you are. He emptied you, day after day, bit by bit. He had manipulated you into believing that you didn’t deserve anything better than him. I just wanted to build up what he had broken down,” Jimin explained. “And I found myself infatuated with you in the process.”

Both fought back tears in the middle of the paint studio as they contemplated the parallel journeys that had led them to this place. 

“Very good. Very good,” the instructor said as he walked around to each of the students to evaluate their work. 

Jeongguk’s teary eyes bulged, “Shit. Mine isn’t finished. I stopped paying attention.” He wiped his tears away and tried to scribble a few more lines around his bare sun.

“Your first graders would be proud,” Jimin teased.

“How did you finish yours? You weren’t paying attention either.”

“My art is based on vibes. Not anything that silly guy had to say,” Jimin explained.

“Vibes? How does one paint on vibes?” Jeongguk laughed heartily. The tear that dripped down his cheek quickly disappeared into the creases of his dimples. 

The instructor arrived and examined Jeongguk’s painting, “Well, good effort young man. Good effort.”

But when the instructor got to Jimin’s painting, he was not full of the same compliments, “Uh, young man, were we all in the same class?”

“Yes, sir,” Jimin smiled. He was still adding the finishing touches to his masterpiece. “I did my best. Do you like it?”

The instructor placed his glasses on the tip of his nose, “The object for the day was a sunset. This appears to be…something other than a sunset.” He looked between Jimin’s painting and Jeongguk’s face several times. “Oh I see.” He shook his head. “Good grief. You couples really are annoying,” he said and then walked away.

“Couples? Annoying? What was that about? What did you paint?” Jeongguk snickered.

Jimin turned his canvas around so that Jeongguk could see it. 

“That’s - that’s - that’s me!”

“It can’t be that bad if you recognized that it was you.” Jimin signed his name at the bottom of the canvas, just below the painting of Jeongguk. 

“I-I-I don’t know what to say. It’s exquisite. Resplendent.” Jeongguk was equally stunned and flattered as he absorbed the beauty of the painting.

In Jimin’s rendering, Jeongguk was wearing all white. His dark hair contrasted beautifully against the white clothing and his golden hued skin. The white lotus blossom that he held in his hand was held gently against his cheek. Curly bangs covered his forehead and his bright eyes were so realistic that they seemed to be staring through the canvas. It was a true work of art from a true artist. 

“I thought you said you didn’t know how to oil paint.”

“I don’t. But I’m a great illustrator. I have a minor degree in art design. I drew your image first and then used the paint to color it in, like using markers or crayons. I think it came out pretty great. Acrylics mix and blend well when they’re wet. Besides, you’re a much more interesting subject than the sunset.”

Jeongguk simply gawked. There were not enough words in his illustrious, highly educated brain to describe what he was feeling. “Do I get to keep it?”

“It’s yours. Of course, we have to be careful because it’s still wet. I’m going to have to google how long it takes for paint to dry,” Jimin laughed. 

Jeongguk didn’t. Emotions swirled through his body. It was the perfect moment for a passionate kiss, but that would only lead them down a dangerous path. Instead he extended his hand for an awkward handshake.

“What’s this?” Jimin laughed loudly before accepting Jeongguk’s handshake. “You’re so incredibly peculiar.”

“Leave me alone. I’m emotional here. A kiss seemed inappropriate, so I’m offering you a handshake,” Jeongguk laughed.

“You could have just hugged me,” Jimin teased his sweet little overthinker.

 “This painting is beautiful and I will cherish it forever. I get to take it home with me, right?” 

“Yep. It’s all yours. Let’s go. I’m craving some of that carbonara that was leftover from last night’s dinner.”

Jimin was right all along. They transitioned back into their role as friends just as easily as they had transitioned into their role as kink playing lovers. Their bond was teflon and at least for the moment, it appeared to be back on track.

***

Chapter Seven - The Atrocity

 

As their vacation continued, they enjoyed various activities from fishing, and watching romance movies to roasting marshmallows by the fire. Every iota of every second was filled with gratitude for the time alone. Unintentional romance blossomed in everything they did, but they tried their best to ignore it. Each day Jeongguk had a new recipe on the menu. Jimin, his trusty sous chef, remained by his side mincing and chopping on demand. 

However, their commitment to being just friends didn’t come without restraint and incredible discipline. Just because they had agreed to no longer be lovers, didn’t mean they didn’t still want to be lovers. They took every precaution to be vigilant; avoiding nudity, lude comments, or any reference to their twenty-four hours of blissful sin from days prior. Most importantly, they kept the kink box closed and hidden in the closet. They locked the experience away in the private vaults of their minds, even though they could see the memories etched on each other’s faces. 

But it was on the evening of the sixth day when an explosive turn of events knocked them completely off course.

“Hurry, Jeonggukie, the movie is about to start.”

“The popcorn isn’t going to pop itself. I like alot of popcorn when I watch movies that make me cry.”

“This is a Marvel film. Nothing about it should make you cry.”

“Says you. Iron man makes me emotional.”

“Just hurry up. The news is on and it’s depressing me,” Jimin laughed. 

He crossed his legs on the couch and made way for Jeongguk to join him under the thick yellow blanket. It was an evening of pajamas, snacks and their favorite movies ordered on demand. It had become a nightly ritual to help keep their minds off of the  other things they could be doing.

Jeongguk plopped down on the couch and crawled under the blanket with Jimin. As usual, Jimin’s pajamas consisted of baggy black sweatpants but no shirt. Jeongguk noticed his bare chest when he pulled the blanket. His eyes were drawn to a series of small nail marks where Jimin had likely scratched an itch. The marks were faint, with just the slightest deepening of color.  Jeongguk couldn’t take his eyes off of them. They felt like something that needed to be kissed.

Jimin noticed that he was being noticed. And that’s when he realized that he needed a shirt. “Oh, sorry. I’m so used to not wearing a shirt at night. I-I um, I’ll go grab a shirt.” No matter how comfortable they were being partially or completely nude around each other, they understood that the deadly attraction was still there and they needed to avoid triggering each other. Having a rock hard dick with no way to satisfy it was a recipe for landing them tied to the bed and fucking again.

Jimin quickly rushed off to find a shirt. Jeongguk casually glanced up at the news while he waited for Jimin to return. There was a woman on television who looked vaguely familiar. 

“Principal Han?” Jeongguk uttered to himself. 

She appeared to be speaking at some sort of press conference. He turned up the volume on the television to hear her more clearly. 

There were at least thirty microphones shoved in her face as she spoke, “I’m innocent of these charges. This is nothing but a conspiracy to sully my name and create doubt in the minds of the board members. I assure you that I have not done any of the deplorable things I am accused of…,”

“JIMIN!” Jeongguk yelled at the top of his lungs.

Jimin came running with his shirt partially pulled over his shoulders, “What’s wrong?”

“DELORES IS ON TV!” Jeongguk pointed towards the image of ugly little Principal Han on television. Her thick unibrow glistened amidst the bright camera lights.

As Principal Han completed her statement, the news then quickly switched to footage of her being arrested and led out of Hagwon in handcuffs. She was tussling with the police, refusing to leave her office. So they cuffed her. The lower third scrawled across the screen with a list of reactions from teachers at the school.

The news anchor from KBS1 Channel 9 continued the report, “Principal Han of the prestigious Hagwon School of Busan has been arrested on multiple felony charges including misappropriation of funds, violation of ethics & standards regulation, and blackmail.”

“What in the actual fuck is happening here,” Jimin fell onto the couch with his shirt still stuck over his shoulders.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” Jeongguk stuffed a hand full of popcorn into his mouth as his eyes glazed over the television in disbelief.

The reporter who was reporting live from the front lawn of the school, continued to deliver the story, “Suspicions around the Principal's action surfaced when several teachers and senior staff noticed that new rules and guidelines had been enacted unilaterally by the Principal without the proper authority from the school board. Some of the new rules were found to be illegal and discriminatory; against the school district’s fairness doctrine….,”

Jeongguk jumped to his feet, “I told you! I told you she was pulling some of these rules out of her ass!”

“Shhh,” Jimin shushed him so that he could continue to listen to the various charges that were being levied against her.

The reporter continued, “...the investigation into unauthorized rule amendments led to a trail of missing funds and various threats against powerful business owners who had children attending the school. During a raid on her office, her computer as well as boxes of personal files were confiscated and placed into evidence. The board has suspended the Principal indefinitely with a new Principal soon to be appointed as an interim replacement. Bail has not been set. We’ll continue to keep you updated on developments in this story. This is Seoka Hwang reporting live from Channel 9, KBS1.”

“Do you think that’s why the biggest troublemakers in the school were never punished? Was she being paid off by their parents to make their infractions just go away?” Jimin asked.

“That’s probably where the blackmail comes in.”

“You said it. You knew from day one that something wasn’t right. She was being allowed to run amuck with her refusal to adhere to policy. Even our fucking suspension without pay wasn’t authorized. Nothing in the teacher handbook or district guidelines gave her authority to do this. No wonder you wanted to fight. No wonder you were so adamant. You knew. My God, you’re brilliant,” Jimin grabbed Jeongguk and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I feel vindicated. But we can’t get too ahead of ourselves. Until the trial is over, we don’t know what’s going to happen. She could still have a few tricks up her sleeve. At least, we’re rid of her. She’s no longer at Hagwon which should make our lives much better.”

“We have a hearing in front of the board next week. I was feeling really discouraged about it but now I think we have a chance.”

“We’ve always had a chance. After all of this shit with Principal Han, the entire case against us will likely be thrown out and the suspension reversed.”

“Reversed? Why do you think that?”

Jeongguk folded his legs in and faced Jimin, “Because no single entity has the authority to put such guidelines in place. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time. The board had no idea what she was doing. Now that she’s gone, none of her ridiculous rules apply. We default to the official handbook. The one that I helped the committee create.”

“None of her rules apply?”

“None.”

“Not even the one about…staff members dating?”

“Not even that one,” Jeongguk said softly as he tucked Jimin’s dark tresses behind his ear.

Jimin tilted his head and leaned into Jeongguk’s palm as it stroked his cheek. “Good to know.”

“Are we going to watch this movie? I paid for it already,” Jeongguk stated.

Jimin was pensive and quiet. He absentmindedly pulled his shirt into place as he reclaimed his position under the blanket. He could feel Jeongguk’s cold bare toes curled underneath.

“Your feet are cold, put them in my lap and I’ll warm them for you,” Jimin offered.

“I’m always cold. My nipples are always hard, not because I’m horny, because I’m cold.”

“So I gathered from your turning the heat up to near 90 degrees Celsius every night. Stay close. I’ll keep you warm,” Jimin offered sweetly.

 

It was 1:00 am by the time they decided to go to bed. They’d managed to squeeze three very long Marvel movies into their movie night and they were over it.

“Hmm, that was confusing. And why is Hulk red?”

“Hell if I know.” They turned the television off and walked slowly towards their bedrooms. “So tomorrow? What’s on the agenda?”

“A midnight helicopter ride. It’s our last day so I thought we could really make it special.” 

They stopped in front of Jeongguk’s room. 

Jeongguk stepped inside but Jimin continued to linger in the doorway. “That sounds fun. Imagine flying over Busan at night. I can throw rocks at my mom’s house,” he leaned against the door frame, looking boyfriendy, cracking jokes.

“Jiminie, be honest. Does Principal Han leaving change how you feel about staying at Hagwon?”

Jimin thought for a moment, “I would miss you alot if I went elsewhere. It’s too soon to say. I love the lower school kids, but haaaaaate those damn middle schoolers. I guess I need to see how everything works out.”

“Same. I do feel much more hopeful now.”

Jimin lifted his hand to scratch his neck. His fingernails left more of the faint red marks. 

“Why do you keep scratching that same spot?” Jeongguk asked.

“It’s this damn t-shirt. I don’t even know why I packed it. It’s not exactly the most comfortable. But all of my other clothes are dirty and I can’t run around here shirtless anymore, now can I?” 

“You can if you want. Besides, I’m washing all of our laundry tomorrow so that we return home with clean clothes,” Jeongguk said firmly.

Jimin sat on the floor in the doorway of Jeongguk’s room, still refusing to fully enter. “Laundry? On vacation?”

“I love to do laundry. I find it soothing, especially folding the dry warm clothes. I just love it, so give all of your dirty laundry to me. I’ll even come over to your apartment when we get home and wrangle all of your dirty clothes,” Jeongguk laughed.

“Oh, don’t joke. I may take you up on that offer. I absolutely fucking hate doing laundry. My God we’re good together.” Jimin scratched his neck again creating even more divots in his skin.

“You can take your shirt off. I’m not some hapless heathen who can’t control myself. If you don’t want to wear a shirt around me, you don’t have to.”

“You sure? I’m really sexy.”

“Fuck yes you are, but…I’m sure.”

“Oh thank goodness.” Jimin reached around the tail of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. 

For a moment, the sleeve got stuck over his shoulder, trapping him with his arms stuck in the air and his entire head covered. And then the collar got stuck on one of his earrings. He tugged and tugged, trying to get loose. As he struggled to work his way out, the nipples on his exposed chest began to harden from the chill. It was another one of those silly predicaments that only Jimin could get into.

Jeongguk could see the marks on his neck. The beautiful, beautiful marks on his neck. “Wait, wait, it’s stuck on your earring. Stop pulling before you rip your ear off. Here - let me help.” Jeongguk worked the earring loose and then continued to pull the shirt up. Jimin’s face was liberated and then eventually his head, but the t-shirt continued to grip around his arms and wrists as they flailed in the air. “Hold still, please. I…,”

Jeongguk felt the seams of his pajamas suddenly tighten around his crotch. Seeing Jimin trapped in his shirt triggered his bondage kink at the most inconvenient time. 

Jimin, all tangled in mangled up knots, wondered what was taking so long for Jeongguk to free him. The younger’s face was above his, a fierce gleam of desire burning in his eyes. 

“You good?”

“No.” 

Instead of pulling the shirt the final few inches to get Jimin’s arms free, Jeongguk grabbed the fabric and twisted it in his hand, wrapping it around and around until it was tight around Jimin’s wrists. He couldn’t help himself. 

“What’s happening?” Jimin laughed softly.

“I’m a hapless heathen who can’t control himself.” He found his lips pressed against the darkened red marks on Jimin’s neck. “Holy shit you’re beautiful,” he said as he kissed up and down the faint etchings in the elder’s skin.

“You hapless heathen. You didn’t ask my permission,” Jimin was already in the game, offering no resistance at all. 

Jeongguk held Jimin’s still bundled arms above his head. He pressed him against the frame of the door, and then eventually pushed him to the ground. None of it was planned. It just happened, right there on the floor. 

Jimin whispered, “Another twenty-four hours?”

There was a sudden knock at the door. They both startled and stared at each other. Who could be at their door at 1:00am.

“Do you think the deer want to come in and watch in person?” Jimin joked.

Jeongguk was not so jovial. He had a bad feeling about someone visiting at such a late hour. 

“What the fuck? Should we even open the door? Who could possibly be up at this time of hour? We’re completely isolated up here.” All kinds of alarm bells rang in Jeongguk’s head. 

The two of them walked slowly to the front door. Whoever was there was persistent, knocking firmly and loudly. Jimin grabbed a knife from the wood block on the kitchen counter. 

Jeongguk peeped through the blinds to see if it was someone he recognized. It was. He rushed to open the door.

Yu-Jon fell inside, collapsing to the floor. He held his side and peered up at Jeongguk, “Thanks for letting me in.”

“Yu-Jon?” Jimin gasped. “Fuck I would have preferred the deer.”

Yu-Jon was injured. He had a bloody nose, several cuts on his face and he appeared to be holding his stomach.

“Oh God what happened to you?” Jeongguk leaned down by his side, “and what are you doing here?”

“I’m fine, just a little bruised. I was in a car accident. Another car ran me off the road near Haeundae beach. Ended up in a ditch. My car is fucked up but drivable. Oh God Ggukie, my life flashed before my eyes. I thought I was going to die.”

“You need a doctor,” Jeongguk grabbed a few paper towels and wiped the blood from Yu-Jon’s face so he could examine his injuries.

“I probably do…,” Yu-jon laughed and then grimaced in pain, grabbing at his side as he coughed.

“Mmkay,” Jimin had his arms folded tightly against his chest, “so let me get this straight. You crashed near Haeundae beach and instead of seeking medical help that was literally five minutes away, you chose to drive three hours, up a mountain, at night, to come here?” He was fired up. The red scratches on his neck burned red in a visible display of his anger. Everything about Yu-Jon’s visit felt manipulative and Jeongguk seemed to be falling for it.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Jeongguk offered.

“No.” Yu-Jon protested. “I just need to rest a minute. Catch my breath. I-I-I had to see you Jeongguk. It’s urgent. Please just hear me out and let me talk.”

Jimin didn’t know what to think. The asshole was clearly in distress and his injuries were real. He could see the concern in Jeongguk’s eyes and that was the part that pissed him off. After everything Jeongguk had said about being over him, hating him, considering him an oppressor - there he was, tending to his wounds and giving him yet another opportunity to wiggle his slimy ass back into his life. Jimin felt like he was going to vomit. He sat down on the couch and crossed his legs; every portion of his body tense and anxious. 

“You need to go to a hospital,” Jeongguk said once again.

“Fine. But not until I say what I need to say,” Yu-Jon insisted. “I drove three hours to get here to tell you this.”

“Yea, fine say what you have to say but make it quick because I can’t stop the bleeding on this cut,” Jeongguk said with worry.

Jimin felt like crying. Jeongguk wasn’t supposed to care about that creature that lay there on the floor, invading what may have been the most beautiful moment of their lives. Yu-Jon was not supposed to be there. He wasn’t supposed to be laying on Jeongguk’s lap sucking up his attention and affection. 

Jimin seethed. He wanted Jeongguk to hate Yu-jon, to kick him out, to let him bleed to death in his dented up car with the shattered windshield. The feeling was all too familiar, he felt his heart breaking once again. Could it be that Jeongguk was truly still in love with his ex?

Yu-jon continued to mumble, while struggling to talk. “I need you. I’m here to beg you to come back to me. I know this is sudden…I know I shouldn’t be here…,”

“You think?” Jimin yelled.

Yu-Jon glanced at him. Jimin was sure he saw a smirk. The injured man continued to speak feebly, “I was a fool to let you go. I was a fool to be unfaithful. I almost died Ggukie. And as I was laying there, I realized that the only person who matters in my life is you. I can’t go on without you. Marry me Jeongguk.”

“What?” Jimin jumped to his feet. He felt his eyes fill with tears. “No fucking way…you ass….”

“Jimin. Come here,” Jeongguk yelled over him. 

Jimin was surprised to hear Jeongguk use that tone with him. It aroused him slightly even though it was a very inappropriate time. Jimin rushed over, pausing his tirade. He knelt next to Jeongguk and Yu-Jon.

Jeongguk had retrieved several towels. He was holding them against Yu-Jon’s face and his chest. “He’s coughing up blood. This is serious.”

“Fuck. I think he’s got a collapsed lung.” Jimin suddenly understood Jeongguk’s urgency and why he was paying so close attention to Yu-Jon’s injuries. “We need an ambulance immediately,” Jimin advised.

Both of the teachers were well trained in first aid and CPR. They knew how to keep him alive but he definitely needed help. 

“Hold this here and keep it compressed while I call an ambulance,” Jeongguk ripped his bloody hand away and fetched his phone. 

Jimin could hear him speaking frantically to the 1-1-2 operator. He curled his lip and gagged as he spoke to Yu-Jon, “So, blood isn’t my thing. Especially your blood, but if I don’t do this, you could die. Soooo, yea.” Jimin grimaced and gagged again before pressing his hand hard against the compress to control Yu-Jon’s bleeding. He could feel the warm gooey blood soaking through the towel and staining his hand. “Fuck I hate this. I hate you.”

Yu-jon managed to utter a few cruel words to Jimin, “He’ll never love you. I’m etched in his brain forever. He’ll always be mine.” He coughed up more blood.

“Are you seriously dense enough to talk shit to the man who’s saving your life? I mean you really are stupid,” Jimin rolled his eyes. He held back another gag as he saw more of Yu-jon’s blood drip to the floor. 

Jeongguk was back. He worked on cleaning Yu-jon’s facial wounds while Jimin held the towel in place. “They’re on their way. You’ll be fine.”

“Are you going to give a dying man an answer?” Yu-Jon asked in response to his proposal. “Will you marry me?”

Jeongguk looked at Jimin with sad pathetic eyes. Jimin could see so much beauty within them.

Yu-Jon continued, speaking directly to Jeongguk, “I know you came here with him just to make me jealous. I know there’s nothing between you.” He coughed, voiding more blood from his mouth, “I talked to your friends and even people who saw you at the Hard and Heavy Metal Pub together. They all said you visited often but you never held hands or even kissed. You’re just using him to make me jealous. But I know where your true heart is. It’s with me.”

“You’re right. I did use him and I did it to piss you off and really hit you where it hurt. And that wasn’t fair. He’s not my boyfriend and we aren’t dating. I’m sorry Jimin,” Jeongguk stared directly at Jimin.

Jimin couldn’t believe what he was hearing; Jeongguk admitting their secret to Yu-jon. It felt like the ultimate betrayal. It took all of Jimin’s strength not to run, flee the scene so that he didn’t have to face what was happening. Jeongguk himself had admitted in the past that he and Yu-jon had a pattern of breaking up and reuniting. He admitted himself that he always took him back - always. That was just how they played the game. And at that moment Jimin realized that he was just a pawn in their game. He felt so stupid, so humiliated. His grip on Yu-jon’s bloody towel slackened just a bit. Did he really care if he died? Not at all.

Jeongguk continued to stare into Jimin’s eyes. He refused to dismiss their gaze. After Yu-jon’s soliloquy of bullshit, the younger finally had a chance to speak. But instead of speaking to Yu-jon, he spoke to Jimin. “You look like you’ve lost your best friend. Lighten up. You don’t really think I’m falling for his bullshit do you?” Jeongguk giggled. “You’re the one who said that we had to trust each other, not just in the bedroom, but in all things. I still trust you, but it seems like you’re doubting your trust in me. Please don’t do that, it’s the most important thing we share.” Jeongguk then looked down at Yu-jon. He continued to dab at his facial wounds and hold his head. “As for you asshole. The only reason I opened the door is because you looked like you were dying - and you could possibly be - hell I don’t know. Maybe that’s why you should have driven yourself to a doctor instead of letting yourself bleed out while interrupting my vacation. I have no idea what the damage fees are for allowing someone to die a bloody death on the doorstep of this airbnb, so I let you in. That’s the only reason. Your presence here is irritating the fuck out of me. You should thank Jimin for being so kind because he hates you. If I had let him vote, he would have voted for death for you. So thank you Jimin. The ambulance will be along shortly to take him off of our hands,” Jeongguk said sweetly. He leaned over Yu-jon’s body and kissed Jimin softly on the lips. “Fuck,” he slapped Yu-jon on the shoulder out of frustration, “If you hadn’t shown up, I would be blowing his back out right now, trying to convince him to be my forever boyfriend. You ruin everything, you know that?”

Jimin’s eyes bulged. He had clearly been the victim of his own overthinking because Jeongguk’s response to Yu-jon’s proposal was not at all what he expected. “Forever boyfriend?” he echoed, still in shock.

Jeongguk continued his rebuke of Yu-jon, “As for marrying you…are you dense? I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire so I definitely wouldn’t marry you. The only reason I’m caring for you right now is because my mother raised me to be a good human. And it’s what Jimin over there expects of me…to be a good human. But don’t get things confused, I could care less about you. I don’t wish you any harm, but you could die tomorrow and I’d just…get a cup of coffee.” He shrugged.

Jimin burst into laughter. He never knew Jeongguk had such savagery in him. And the young one wasn’t finished. It seemed as if he was just as outraged by Yu-jon’s antics as Jimin himself was.

Jeongguk continued, “The audacity of you to come here. To risk your own life just to play these silly games and curry favor with me. Trying to manipulate me into taking you back just because you showed up here near death. I wouldn’t be surprised if you drove into that ditch on purpose. You have a mother and a sister who would have been devastated if something happened to you. And they would have inevitably blamed me - like they always fucking do. And your pathetic proposal was laughable. When did you come up with that angle? Before or after you noticed that Jimin was still here? Your manipulative games have always been pathetic, but this is a new low. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Thankfully for Yu-jon, the ambulance showed up before Jeongguk could continue tearing his character to shreds. The guy was in bad shape. He had a myriad of troubles ahead, the least of which being internal injuries as well as the legal matter of leaving the scene of an accident.

“He’s pretty banged up, but he’ll be ok. You can ride in the back of the ambulance with him,” the EMT offered to Jeongguk.

“I’m not going anywhere with him. He has a mother and a sister. Their emergency contact information is in his phone. Call them. I’m going back to my regularly scheduled program of falling in love with this guy,” he pointed at Jimin.

Jimin laughed again. Hearing Jeongguk throw around the word love was ridiculously premature. But he could definitely see a path for them getting there. 

Jeongguk grabbed Jimin’s hands and gasped when he saw them covered in Yu-jon’s blood, “Oh no. Body fluids. My poor baby.”

Jimin pouted and nodded. He held his hands with his fingers spread apart and his arms extended away from his body.

“Don’t worry. I’ll wash it all off…If you’ll let me?”

Jimin nodded with a slight smile.

***

 

The final day of their vacation was spent making love. Not just fucking, but truly making love while exploring their intimate feelings for one another. Other than their occasional visit to the garden to pick flowers for each other, they never stepped one foot outside of the cabin because nothing the world had to offer was better than being together locked in passion. The kink box made its debut again as Jimin freed it from the closet and they once again sorted through it…

 

Jeongguk pursued him on his knees, stalking his every move. Jimin tried to crawl fast but the layers and layers of velvet rope around his knees and ankles slowed him down. Being in total darkness because of the chiffon blindfold didn’t help either. 

“You didn’t ask permission to eat my ass, you hapless heathen,” Jimin teased.

“I’m going to catch you,” he slapped Jimin across the ass with the pink crop. The slap was so mild that it made Jimin laugh even harder. 

“You have my permission to hit me harder than that.”

“Nope. I don’t do pain. Now come here.”

“Nope.”

Their cat and mouse chase took them all through the house with Jimin having no idea where he was going. He bumped into several walls as he crawled over the floor. Jeongguk finally caught up with him as Jimin made his way into the kitchen. The elder’s joyful laughter could be heard all the way through the forest.

Jeongguk grabbed Jimin’s roped ankles to keep him from going any further, “Ok, ok. Now may I have permission?” Jeongguk begged. He knew exactly what Jimin wanted, but per usual, the elder made him ask permission. Those were just the rules.

“That’s more like it. Yes, you have my per…,” he didn’t get a chance to give his full consent because Jeongguk already had his tongue inside his clean lavender scented ass, licking and slurping, eating him like he was an early morning breakfast. The edible lube was definitely serving its purpose. 

“Oh fuck,” Jimin clenched his eyes shut from behind the blindfold. He sat on his hands and knees, rotating his hips and bucking his ass against Jeongguk’s tongue.”Shit. Shit. Ohhh, make me cum,” Jimin whined. 

Jeongguk tugged on his cock as he kissed the rose colored flesh of Jimin’s ass, “Do you need to be cooled down?”

“Yes,” Jimin agreed, even though he didn’t know what that meant.

“May I cool you down?”

“Yes.”

Jeongguk left Jimin there on the kitchen floor, still on his hands and knees. 

“Shit, don’t leave me. I didn’t mean for you to stop.”

“Shhh, relax baby. It’s not time for you to cum yet. We have time.”

Edging was a new addition to their kink play where they refused to allow each other to orgasm until they had been sufficiently teased to surrender. 

He pulled ice chips from the freezer and filled his mouth with them, pushing them into his cheeks like a chipmunk storing acorns. He returned to Jimin’s upturned ass and blew a cold breath into his hole. And then one by one, he dropped the chips of ice inside of him, using his tongue to melt them.

“FUCK!” Jimin screamed and tried to crawl away.

“Now, where are you going?” Jeongguk taunted him. He commenced with licking Jimin’s ass with the frigid ice rolling over his tongue.

Jimin gasped for air. He wanted to cry. The sensation was too intense, yet he never wanted it to stop. He felt himself on the verge of an orgasm again, but he didn’t dare admit it because he knew that Jeongguk wouldn’t allow it. 

 

And then the positions all changed.  Jeongguk was on the move. Because of the blindfold, Jimin wasn’t sure of their exact positioning, but he knew he had been turned onto his back. And just like that, his entire cock was cocooned in the warmth of the younger’s mouth.

“FUCK!” Jimin squirmed. 

Shivers ran down his leg. He was torn between the soft warm flesh of the back of Jeongguk’s throat and the icy chill in his cheeks where he still held remnants of ice. A new sensation was born, one that aroused Jimin more than ever. He could feel his weighty cock dancing inside of Jeongguk’s mouth as he sucked and released in heart stopping intervals. Jimin grew closer to orgasm yet again. And yet again, Jeongguk denied him. The moment he felt Jimin’s growing tremors, he pulled his mouth away from the elder’s wet cock, depriving him again.

“Stop, stop, stop. You didn’t ask permission to cum, Jiminie.”

“May I…p-p-please?”

“No, baby. Not yet. I’m sorry, you can’t cum yet. May I fuck you? May I fuck you now?” Jeongguk begged with a raspy voice.

“Yes, you may,” Jimin said just as desperately. 

He couldn’t get into position fast enough, so Jeongguk helped him. He propped him on his hands and knees, ass out, lube spilling from his hole. And then he entered him, pushing in so hard that his eyes snapped shut and a savage growl erupted from his throat. He hugged Jimin’s back with his hands around his waist as he rotated his hips around and around, pushing in and out, showing no mercy.

Jimin felt his hands sliding across the tile as he grappled for something to anchor himself. He was being tossed all over the kitchen floor. Jeongguk’s arms felt like steel around him, unrelenting in their passionate embrace. The jutting bulge of the younger’s cock burned through him, filling him and emptying him at a mind dizzying pace. Simultaneously Jimin could feel his lover’s large hand tugging at his dangling cock, stroking him to ecstacy while fucking him at the same time. 

Up was down and down was up. There was no spatial awareness, no cogent thoughts; only soul filling sensation that fired through his body. The sound of his own beating heart thundered in his ears so loudly, that he could barely hear the moans from his lustful lover. 

“Fuck, it’s so good. Don’t stop, don’t stop.” Jimin lifted his hand from the floor and draped it around Jeongguk’s hand that was masturbating him. Together their hands moved in tandem, pulling at the skin of his dick and rolling it back and forth. And then, his face dropped to the tile floor as Jeongguk continued to pound his ass while milking him. “Fuuuuuuck! May I cum, may I…?” Jimin lost his voice as his body quivered.

“Still too soon,” Jeongguk offered with a loving smile. He withdrew, leaving Jimin’s hole trembling. He released Jimin’s cock and pushed his hand away so that he couldn’t continue to stimulate himself. “You can’t cum, until I do.” 

Once again Jimin felt kisses all along the back of his thighs and ass. His dick was beginning to ache. For more than an hour, Jeongguk had been fucking him to the brink, but not allowing his release. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it because at that very moment, he was desperate to blow his load.

Jeongguk picked him up and placed him on the kitchen counter. He removed Jimin’s blindfold so that he could see where he was and what was about to happen to him.

“May I cuff you?” He whispered as he kissed Jimin’s neck and gently lifted both of Jimin’s arms above his head.

“Yes.”

 He unexpectedly handcuffed both of Jimin’s wrists to the cabinet doors above them. “You ok?”

“No…I…can’t hold it anymore…fuck,” Jimin whined. The position was new, something he had never done before. Just thinking about it pushed him to the brink again. “You’re so sexy. My body loves you. Fuck me again baby. Take me like you want me.”  

Jeongguk stepped back. “Look at me,” he beckoned Jimin’s eyes to stare at his naked body as he stroked himself. “Do you want me? Do you want this?”

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. May I have you? May I cum…this time?”

Jeongguk walked forward. He reapplied Jimin’s blindfold and then gagged him with the soft ball gag. He pulled Jimin to the edge of the counter and tickled his hole once again with the tip of his cock. Carefully he placed each of Jimin’s legs over his shoulders. The ropes dangled from his ankles as he was forced into a submissive position. His body was stretched erotically, contorted in different directions, limiting his ability to move. 

Jeongguk continued to tickle the outer rim of Jimin’s hole, and just as his tip slid into him once more, he said the words that Jimin had been longing to hear, “You may have me. And you may…cum…but only if you do it with me…together.”

Jimin was already moaning before Jeongguk even started to fuck him. He leaned his head backwards into the bottom of the cabinet as Jeongguk’s powerful hips started up again. He pushed all seven inches of himself through Jimin’s body with a glide that was smooth as silk. His nuanced stroke enraptured Jimin again. Jeongguk was going in for the kill. With Jimin’s legs tossed over his shoulders, he was perfectly angled for Jeongguk to pound into his prostate. 

That was always the plan. Even though he didn’t consider himself Jimin’s pleasure Dom, that was exactly how Jeongguk behaved. He whispered to him, “You ready?”

Jimin couldn’t respond, the fuck was too delectable. He couldn’t even nod. His wrists pulled against the cabinet doors as his body tensed. He could feel Jeongguk’s tip hitting his spot over and over and over again. A tear fell from the corner of his eye as he felt his orgasm start to build. This one was the biggest yet. He was so afraid that Jeongguk would take it away that he tried to hide the true extent of his pleasure. But it was wild, the fuck was wild. The cabinet doors began to rattle at a steady pace as Jimin’s cuffed body bounced against them. The slapping of their skin sounded in Jimin’s ears. Even though he couldn’t see what was happening, he could feel every sensation ten times over. 

He moaned through his gag. This was it. This was the end for him. His orgasm went well beyond just blowing his cum. His entire body tingled, his nerves awakened, his legs clenched around Jeongguk’s neck as they rested on his shoulders. He released a muffled scream, an orgasmic alarm that alerted Jeongguk that he was about to cum. 

The younger quickened his pace, bouncing against Jimin’s prostate. Between thrusts, he kissed the inside of Jimin’s legs and stroked his cock, ready for his lover’s seed to spill into his large capable hand. “Oh fuck. May I cum? May I cum?” He asked Jimin for permission.

Jimin’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and then he threw his head backwards, hitting the cabinet. At that moment Jeongguk had permission to do anything he wanted as long as he didn’t stop fucking him. 

“Together, together,” Jeongguk rattled off incoherent words that Jimin was too far gone to hear. “Let me breed you. Let me shoot all of my cum inside of your body.  May I, Jiminie? May I?” He whimpered. 

Jimin screamed again as Jeongguk continued to pump him like a savage. His dick erupted, shooting cum across the kitchen, with much of it landing on the expensive cabinets. His perfect lips shivered and goose bumps erupted all over his skin. His silky dark hair fell messy over his closed eyes as he swam in the haze of euphoria.

Jeongguk dropped Jimin’s legs from his shoulders and held them open as he rolled his hips. He was lost in his own climax, clenching Jimin’s hips, embedding his fingers into his skin, marking him red with his fingertips. Kisses, all of the kisses, all of the time. He found  Jimin’s mouth and gave him as many kisses as his lips could form. All of his senses opened and the rush of his release began. He poured into Jimin’s body with a gruff moan of satisfaction and shook with delight as he emptied. 

Jimin could feel the familiar burst of warmth inside of his body. He had officially been bred.

***

Jeongguk was terrible at rope tying, mostly because he refused to make strong knots. Pain was just not his thing. As a result, he literally fucked the rope off of Jimin, leaving it tangled around his toes, heels and ankles. In fact, their entire bdsm ritual was vanilla at best. It was something they ventured into more as an expression of freedom than anything else; two men escaping repressed relationships and finding their collective voices within each other. The allure was in the tease, the granting of permission as the ultimate sign of respect. Doing it made them feel powerful and in control of their own sexual identities, as opposed to their past lives of deferring control to someone else. Their version of kink play felt sweet and liberating, like a celebration of loving consent.

They lay there together on the kitchen floor eating ice cream and reminiscing about Jimin getting stuck in the Kitchenaid mixer. It was the last day of their vacation but it felt like the beginning of the rest of their lives. In just seven short days, so much had changed. It was yet another sign of just how destined they were to be together. 

They made their way to the fireplace and continued to talk. “So was this just another twenty-four hours?” Jimin asked for clarity.

 “No,” Jeongguk responded firmly, “no more limits on this. I want this Jimin, all of it. I can be your best friend, your co-worker, your laundry man, your lover, your terribly cautious pleasure Dom and…your boyfriend. We can do it all because I believe the universe pulled us together for that reason. Don’t you see? You said it yourself. With big risks come big rewards. You’re my reward, not just your body, you. We know how to be good to each other and we know how it feels when we aren’t. Our past experiences, relationships were what brought us to this point. We learned valuable lessons that make us who we are. I’ll take the risk of a million heartbreaks with you.”

“I always understood. But I was respecting your wishes, following your lead.” Jimin sat up, brows furrowed. He scooted away from Jeongguk. 

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Trust. We promised to always trust each other, but I failed you. I was so scared that Yu-jon was going to talk his way back into your heart that I didn’t trust that you had already given it to me. I’m disappointed in myself for thinking that way,” Jimin admitted. 

“Hmm, that’s a tough one. Well, I can forgive you - if you can.”

Jimin nodded and wiped a tear from his eye, “May I have permission - to forgive myself?”

“You may.” He leaned in and pushed Jimin’s hair from his forehead so that he could kiss him there.

Jimin remembered, “Don’t we have a helicopter ride? Should we probably get dressed?”

“Yep. But first, I need to clean all of the cum off of the cabinets. I’m pretty sure they will charge me for damages if we leave that there,” Jeongguk laughed hysterically. 

 

***

“Mr. Jeon.”

“Mr. Park.”

They greeted each other cordially as they sat at the wooden table in the community library where the School Board hearing was being held. It was concerning for both of them that the entire thing hadn’t been cancelled given Principal Han’s arrest. Still, they felt confident that they would be victorious in their fight. 

The situation with Principal Han was so egregious that the Ministry Of Education called in the Regional Superintendent to oversee the case. The more they dug into Principal Han’s handling of Hagwon, the more the parents and board demanded a complete overhaul. The initial thought was to release all of the current staff and teachers and bring in all new ones. But cooler heads prevailed and most of the teachers, especially the newer staff like Jimin and Jeongguk, were allowed to remain.

“Mr. Park, Mr. Jeon, we invited you here today to get testimony from your perspective of how Principal Han was handling staff discipline. We’ve read your appeal. We understand that you were given leave without pay for the infraction of being absent from your class after the bell rang?”

Jeongguk spoke for both of them, “We were coming from the lunchroom. Lower school teachers do not have a microwave or refrigerator of their own, so we have to walk clear across the building to warm our lunches. On our way back we ran into a student who was feeling ill but couldn’t find the nurse. She needed immediate care and I was writing her a hall pass to allow her to get to the nurse after the bell rang. Principal Han didn’t approve. We tried to explain, but we were immediately slapped with a suspension that same day,” Jeongguk concluded.

“Principal Han doesn’t have the authority to suspend a teacher without board approval. A suspension of that magnitude is reserved for very serious infractions, not being late to your classroom.”

Jeongguk chimed in again, “Yes, sir. That’s why we decided to fight it. So will it be stricken from our records?”

“Of course. And your pay will be reinstated as well. I guess in the end you got a few days off and a little paid vacation. I’m sure it doesn’t make up for the humiliation and embarrassment that you had to suffer.” 

“I have been at this school for two years. This is Mr. Park’s first year. But even though we are new to this school, we have years of student teaching experience at different institutions and we have never seen a Principal given this much authority to create guidelines. We ask that…if Principal Han returns, that there be much more stringent oversight over her operation of the school,” Jeongguk spoke his peace.

The Superintendent didn’t need to hear anymore. He found their narrative too prolix and unnecessary because unbeknownst to them, the board already knew all of the nasty details of Principal Han’s unjust behavior. She was going to jail for a long time. “Principal Han will not be returning to the school. She has been fired from the administration and is facing many years in prison for blackmail and theft. However, we will remain vigilant in our oversight of the new Principal once one is selected.”

Jimin took a risk and shared more insider information, “Sir, not to pile on, but we believe that we’ve been discriminated against. Because we are male and because we are…,”

“Dating,” Jeongguk spoke proudly into the microphone, finishing Jimin’s sentence.

Jimin looked at him with stunned silence.

“We have no policy regarding dating. We would ask for your discretion simply because kids don’t need to see teachers kissing,” the Superintendent laughed.

Jimin nodded, “Of course, sir. We understand.”

“As for the discrimination claims, you’ll have to prove that. I advise you to file a complaint. Be specific about dates, punishments, conversations, anything you can think of to bolster your case. As we know,  Principal Han worked in her own bubble, ignorant to the rules and regulations around her. We’ve already seen evidence of her not handing down discipline in a consistent manner according to guidelines. I’m sure you’ll be able to make your case.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jimin bowed from his seat.

“Thank you both for sharing your concerns…I…,”

“Um, sir. One more thing,” Jimin dared to interrupt the Superintendent again.

“Yes, Mr. Park. What is it?” The Superintendent said patiently.

“We need a microwave in the lower school. And a table or maybe two. Teachers have no accommodations and we can’t properly serve our students if we have to race through the middle school hallway just to warm up our lunch. Please consider it, sir. Thank you.” Jimin partially bowed from the table again.

“After what you’ve just been subjected to, if your only ask is for a microwave and a couple of tables, I’m sure we can have someone look into that right away.”

***

 

One year later…

 

He moved his fingers idly over Jeongguk’s face, tracing each beautiful line, feeling the texture of his shaven cheek and the lush crescents of his eyelashes. He touched his tongue to the younger’s mingling them like silkened heat. They devoured each other in a long kiss before Jimin broke away and buried his mouth into Jeongguk’s throat, right along the scratches and red marks. 

Jimin’s breathless laugh dissolved into a moan as he lifted Jeongguk’s long strong legs into the air and examined his hole. Of course Jeongguk was handcuffed because that was the way he liked it whenever he asked to bottom. They hadn’t been able to duplicate all of the toys in the kink box from the cabin, but they did find most of them online from soft bdsm kink shops. A few new toys were added to their playtime as well.

Jeongguk was dressed like a bunny, with long pink fluffy ears that intertwined through his curly black hair. His wrists were bound in thick leather cuffs with miniature chains on them. They were pink of course  with soft fur lining the inside. And around his neck sat a pink velvet collar, soft to the touch with sparkling diamonds on the surface. The feather duster lay just feet away, covered in cum from when Jimin used it to tickle Jeongguk’s ass after the first time he came inside of him. 

Above them, on the wall, hung the painting that Jimin had created during their wine and paint session. But the pornographic view of Jeongguk that faced Jimin at that moment, looked nothing like the sweet innocent painting on the wall. 

The younger’s hole was moist and oily, with lube circling the wrinkled creases, sullying the sheets below them. No longer did Jeongguk have to rely on his big dildo to satisfy him because now he had Jimin. So whenever he felt the urge to stick something up his ass, Jimin’s dick was ready to fill the need. He braced and arched his back, anticipating the not-so-gentle surge from Jimin’s cock.

Jimin held Jeongguk’s legs and pushed them gently into his chest to expose more of him. He bounced the tip of his cock against Jeongguk’s hole several times before finally asking, “May I have permission to fuck you?”

“Yes.” Jeongguk said, “...but this time, just the tip. If you put the whole thing inside of me, I’ll call the safety word.”

“Coward,” Jimin teased. Jimin surged forward, dipping the oily tip of his cock into Jeongguk’s pool of warmth. He worked his hips with shallow strokes, careful not to push too much of himself into him. His dirty little secret was that he loved it this way, using just the tip, forcing himself to restrain himself. It was like a form of sadistic edging all on its own. He had to be disciplined, depriving himself of a full-on ass fuck. Just the thought of it made him rage with arousal. In and out, he pumped with short strokes. The concentrated pressure around the tip of his dick drove him crazy. 

He couldn’t get through more than four or five thrusts before he begged for release, “Can I cum? Please can I cum?”

“You may, but do it inside of me. Bottom out and shoot it deep,” Jeongguk demanded. 

“Fuuuuuuuck!” Jimin loved it when he said that. Gibberish and tommyrot flowed from Jimin’s mouth as he fell into orgasm. Jeongguk whispered filthy things to him as he felt Jimin’s throbbing cock inside of his own body. 

Jimin lowered the younger’s legs and buried his face into his chest while following instructions to breed him and cum inside of him. He happily did as he was told.

***

“You’re pregnant. I’m sure of it,” Jimin joked as they walked to the carpool line to greet their students.

“As opposed to you being pregnant?”

“My cum is more potent. I’m def your baby’s daddy,” Jimin insisted.

“Line up please children,” Jeongguk instructed his class. He turned back to Jimin with a whisper, “I kinda think that neither of us are pregnant. But…I would be honored to be the father of your children, so when you’re ready, you let me know,” Jeongguk winked.

“I love you. Is it too soon to say that?” Jimin asked.

“Well, it’s been a year. And apparently one of us is pregnant, so I would say, we’re probably a bit late saying it.” Jeongguk laughed again and slapped his knee.

“Hey, keep your hands to yourself. Do not touch the person in front of you,” Jimin scolded his class who seemed to have trouble falling into a straight line. “Hoseok, cover your mouth when you sneeze. I swear to God if any of your spittle gets on me,” Jimin argued with himself mostly because no one in his class was listening.

Jeongguk’s students lined up nicely. They held hands and sang while they wrestled with their backpacks and lunchboxes. 

“By the way, I love you too. Alot,” Jeongguk casually tossed out his reciprocating proclamation. He joined his class in singing and led them to their classroom. 

Jimin watched him lead his line of students into the building. He placed his hand over his heart, not sure if it made sense to cry.  But he certainly felt like he needed to cry. It was the most casual exchange of I love you’s that could ever be, yet it filled him with contentment, pride and absolute joy. He whispered the words again, “I love you.”

“We love you too Mr. Park,” his class all said in tandem.

***

 

The Future…

 

• Yu-jon made a full recovery. The accident truly was an accident. However, he did receive multiple citations for leaving the scene of the crime. He married a few years later. Yu-jon and Jeongguk never spoke again.
• Jimin’s ex, a man named Beom Seok was convicted on charges of battery and sexual abuse of his partner. He was sentenced to ten years in jail. Beom and Jimin never spoke again.
• In return for Jimin and Jeongguk agreeing not to file a discrimination lawsuit against Hogwan, the lower school teachers received their own teacher’s lounge, complete with a television, stainless steel refrigerator and multiple microwaves. They used Principal Han’s old office to create the new lounge.
• Jeongguk decided to stay at Hagwon, as did Jimin. Once the new administration came in, the entire environment of the school changed. They both found great joy in their jobs and they found even greater joy in working side by side. 
• After three years of teaching first grade, Jimin left and transitioned to teach middle school at Hagwon. He found out quite accidentally that his love of poetry and philosophy and art were much better suited for older kids. He created a poetry club for the middle schoolers and even held poetry competitions. He was beloved by the more mature kids who appreciated his style of instruction. His attitude towards teenagers changed drastically after his first year of working with them. He was voted Teacher of the Year the following school year.
• Jimin and Jeongguk’s strange flavor of kink play continued. They bucked the rules of traditional bdsm every chance they had. In fact, they followed none of the rules. They did what made them happy because it was the love and intimacy that mattered most.
• Jimin became Jeongguk’s forever boyfriend and each year during the fall season, they escaped back to the mountain, renting the same cabin for their anniversary where they re-lived all of their special memories just as they experienced them the first time.