"You don't have any meeting in the Hongdae area, do you? And we just go home," Jihon said, checking the saved routes in the navigator.

But instead of an answer, he immediately received a question: "Why didn't you pick me up in the morning, but sent Meena?"

Apparently, this was just an excuse.

"I had business in the morning.

"Didn't you try to avoid meeting me face to face?"

For a moment, Jihon even felt uncomfortable, but he managed to control himself: "No. If I wanted to, I wouldn't come even after lunch."

However, Jaekyung had obviously noticed his momentary confusion. And, silently watching him, blurted out as soon as the car drove out of the parking lot: "Hyun."

"What?"

"Kiss me."

— ...I'm driving.

"So what?"

It sounded like it was some insignificant trifle.

"You haven't forgotten about our pact, have you?"

By "contract," Jaekyung meant their agreement: sex only on weekends and on one scheduled day, and other manifestations of intimacy at any time. Of course, Jaekyung did not immediately agree to these conditions.

Ten days ago, the day of their first time, he had not let Jihon go until almost midnight.

As a result, about four rounds came out. And finally, when Jaekyung dragged him into the shower, Jihon, coming to his senses, honestly admitted that this could not continue, and offered a fixed amount of time for their meetings. Of course, Jaekyung didn't react in any way, except to ask discontentedly, "Why should I do this?"

"Don't be cunning, and just stick to the agreement. You promised that you would not do anything that I would regret later while I was preparing for the Olympics," he insisted.

Jihon didn't have the strength to argue, so he agreed. But immediately, trying to get out of bed, he unintentionally collapsed back. Because of this, Jaekyung was genuinely afraid for him: "Did you twist your leg? Can you get up? And walk?"

He was so anxious that he didn't immediately realize that Jihon's legs were just buckling. And then, as everything cleared up, he suddenly frowned and shouted: "Don't scare me like that!" but the next second he added more restrained: "Okay, we'll do it only on weekends and when you don't have to go to work."

"But you promised to fulfill all my wishes at once and without question," Jaekyung objected, staring at him as if he had completely forgotten everything.

If Jihong really didn't remember, the stubborn man would surely remind him, immediately lowering the backs of his chairs.

"Understood," Jihon replied curtly and kissed his fingertips. And then he teasingly put them to the lips of the frowning guy.

"Kiss me truly, gently, as if you were kissing a loved one. If you don't do it now, I'll regret it, and...

There was a sharp screech of brakes - and the car stopped at the side of the road. Jihong immediately unfastened his seat belt, grabbed Jaekyung by both cheeks and pulled him to him.

The young man's eyes widened in surprise as Jihong began to kiss him with such passion as if he was going to eat him. However, Jaekyung soon responded to the kiss with the same impatience as if he was waiting for this moment. Their hot lips collided and separated, filling the narrow interior of the car with wet sounds.

Jihon, seizing the initiative, immediately wrapped his tongue around him, deliberately sucking so hard that he almost went numb.

And then he pulled away abruptly.

"Satisfied?" he asked. And, fastening his seat belt again, he started the car. Jaekyung, wiping his wet lips with the back of his hand, said quietly, "Hyung, you like it, right?"

"What makes you think so?" - Jihon objected deliberately with notes of indifference, taxiing onto the road. His voice didn't sound confident, because deep down he knew that Jaekyung was right.

Especially when he remembered how, in a semi-conscious state during sex, I demanded a variety of things from him.

"You're too easy to succumb," Jaekyung admitted. "To be honest, I thought you would resist and maybe even swear at me."

"Why?" grinned Jihon. "You endure the Olympics, so I will have to endure too."

These words once again struck a chord with Jaekyung. He was like a geyser that stands still, and then suddenly pours out a stream of emotions.

"What are you saying! You get pleasure yourself, although you say, 'Oh, I can't take it anymore,'" Jaekyung was indignant.

Jihong could, of course, argue with him. But everything this guy said is true.

"Listen, well, who wouldn't get excited after such caresses. If only impotent.

"It's as if I forced you.

"It almost happened," Jihong decided to be frank. "It's not entirely by my will. You, as a man, must understand me."

Jaekyung stared at him for a long time, expressing complete disbelief, and then, leaning against the window, agreed: "Okay, so be it. But then it was not by your will?"

"What exactly?"

"When you asked me to enter you stronger.

To which Jihon, blushing, began to frantically wave his hands: "Hey! Shut up!"

And, covering the stubborn man's mouth with his palm, he hissed: "Let's not bring up such topics in the car! Cooperate with me if you don't want me to have an accident."

"Okay," Jaekyung muttered. "Why would you suddenly become so shy."

But, surprisingly, he stopped mentioning it at all.

Jaekyung was strange: he could act completely unceremonious, but he knew when to stop.

Jihong breathed a sigh of relief and focused on driving again. However, as soon as the traffic light changed and he had to slow down at a pedestrian crossing, he decided to continue the conversation to distract himself: "Actually, sex is not that important. People sleep with strangers. And if I wanted to sleep with you, it could have happened even earlier."

Jaekyung looked at him in amazement. And on his face you could clearly read something like: "So why didn't we do it earlier?»

Sighing heavily, Jihong rolled down the window and added, "You may not believe me, but all my actions until recently were well-intentioned. If you just wanted to have sex with me once, maybe I'd agree. It's easier this way: after all, there are no obligations. But the thing is, you like me."

"Yes, I like you," Jaekyung replied quickly. "And I'm not going to limit myself to one thing."

Without giving him a chance to continue, Jiheon interrupted: "I like you too, not only as an athlete, but also as a person. I value you, that's why I didn't want to start this relationship."

"Then why don't we just be together?" he asked with a puzzled look. "If you value me so much, why don't we meet?"

"Because I want to keep these good feelings," Jihong replied immediately. "Getting into a relationship is like signing a contract for the inevitable end."

"But there are people who are happy together for the rest of their lives," Jaekyung objected.

"Yes, there is," Jihon agreed as the traffic light changed. "But I'm not one of them."

"Why?"

Jihong, holding back a sigh, tried to dodge further questions, "Do we really need to discuss this now? Will you regret if we don't talk?"

"Why don't you want to explain it to me?"

"Well, who will be happy to talk about all their weaknesses or sore points?"

Surprisingly, Jaekyung still gave up, although he sincerely did not understand what "weaknesses" he was talking about: "Okay. If you don't want to, let's not talk about it."

In truth, Jihong expected the guy to insist, but he suddenly backed down. And this small detail left a strange aftertaste.

"Am I really too zealous to show my dissatisfaction with what is happening?" thought Jihong as he looked in the rearview mirror.

"Hyung, do you like me to this extent?" Do you value this feeling so much that you want to keep it?

"Did I say that?"

Jaekyung, barely holding back his anger, strained through his teeth. And his forehead tensed as if he was about to explode.

"Just kidding. Of course I do," Jihong replied quickly. "Of course, I like you. I'm not such a passionate person to do this to everyone."

Which made Jaekyung's expression soften slightly. Although he tried not to show that he was pleased with it, the answer sounded with feigned severity: "But if you appreciate me, want to take care of me and protect me, isn't that love?"

"In a way, maybe that's the case," Jihong didn't deny it. "There are many kinds of love. Love for family or friends."

"But we're not family, much less friends," Jaekyung quickly objected. "And they don't sleep with relatives or friends."

"You definitely can't do it with your family," Jihong laughed.

But Jaekyung didn't even smile, "And with your friends?"

He propped his chin on his hand and stared intently at Jihon. The latter, not paying attention to this, replied: "Well, it depends on what kind of friends. Sex friends are friends too."

— ... Did you have any?

— No, I don't.

Jihon had either relationships or casual liaisons. He generally refused to have long-term romances for fear of creating unnecessary problems for himself, so he did not even think about some kind of "friendship sex".

Even if there was some interest, in order to avoid difficult situations, he simply broke off all contacts. However, Jihon hesitated, because among his one-time adventures there were sometimes repetitions, but you can't call it friendship either.

As he pondered the ridiculous issue, Jaekyung's eyes grew larger. Finally, he said with a slight shock, "Since when have you become so corrupt?"

"What?" laughed Jihon in surprise. "Spoiled? I? To call a 27-year-old man this way is, to put it mildly, strange."

At his age, he could have already become the father of two children. A stern voice rang out through his laughter: "Am I not right? How did a person manage to change so much? About ten years ago, you looked so innocent, and now what?"

"I didn't know anything then," Jihon said, smiling. "My first sex and first relationship was in my college years."

– So, not during training in the center?

— No, I don't. At that time, I was focused exclusively on swimming, everyone thought I was boring and did not want to communicate.

Jaekyung, relaxing for only a moment, continued the interrogation again: "At the university? When did you start dating, in your first year?"

— Yes. At twenty years old. So you were fourteen. You must have worn a school uniform. And, probably, he looked cute.

"What is there. I was already over one hundred and eighty back then," Jaekyung muttered.

Jaekyung clearly didn't like the word "cute" and began to categorically deny it. Jihong, catching his mood, continued in a deliberately calm tone: "Height has nothing to do with it. It's just that the very idea of a secondary school is already fraught with something cute. Do you know what is the cutest thing about teenagers? When they think that they have grown up just because they have grown up a little."

Jaekyung, completely gloomy, frowned more than before, but before he could blurt out anything, the car drove into the territory of the apartment complex.

Slowing down at the entrance, Jihong added, "You did a good job today, well done. Now go to rest."

Pushing him to the exit, he noticed how the guy irritably unbuckled his belt. To his surprise, Jaekyung did not beg for anything extra and got out of the car.

"Did he pout because he was called cute? How can he not understand that this is what makes him so charming," Jihong thought, grinning inwardly.

But then Jaekyung, opening the car door, said, "In two days, our day will come, won't it?"

«… Words about cute things are canceled," Jihon cursed to himself and grumbled aloud: "Can't you just call it a weekend?"

Ignoring his displeasure, Jaekyung continued to insist, "The day after tomorrow, we'll meet at your house. Tomorrow my mother is coming back."

"Then we'd better go to the hotel."

"No, I want to come to your house," Jaekyung said stubbornly.

If Jihong refuses him now, the next phrase will be: "You'll regret not letting me in." Realizing that he himself had fallen into another trap, he began to understand the full depth of the expression "reap the benefits."

And while he was lamenting, Jaekyung suddenly turned around and said with a mischievous smile, "At home, in the bed where you sleep every night, be nice to me."