—A faint grinding of teeth could be heard.

“Christoph. Tell me. Where did you go this afternoon? You weren’t gone long, yet you returned in such high spirits. Where did you go, and whom did you meet?”

Richard whispered into Christoph’s ear.

His hand slowly lowered to Christoph’s waist, lifting the hem of his shirt and slipping inside. The cold fingers touching his skin made Christoph shiver, pulling back with wide eyes staring at Richard.

Christoph couldn’t resist Richard’s words. No matter how much resentment and anger welled up, it was an undeniable truth. Since childhood, Christoph had been shackled by a curse that clung to his ankle, unable to escape.

Richard gazed into Christoph’s eyes, filled with anger, mixed with vague anxiety and resignation, and then furrowed his brows slightly. He looked at Christoph’s pale face and suddenly bit his lip.

“Who taught you that looking at others with such eyes would make most men easily ignore you?”

“……?!”

The low-voiced whisper, combined with the brush of lips, made Christoph frown in confusion. Richard pried Christoph’s lips open with his tongue and slipped it inside.

“Or were you really born with that ability? ……Yes, that seems more likely.”

“……―!”

Richard’s hand, which was roaming under Christoph’s shirt, slowly stroked and moved upward. Although Christoph tried to curl up to avoid it, Richard’s arm wrapped tightly around his waist, not budging an inch.

“Christoph. Tell me. Who did you meet this afternoon?”

Richard ordered in a whisper. Seeing Christoph hesitate and remain silent, Richard bit his lip hard once more.

The discomfort of the touch was worse than the pain, causing Christoph to wince. Inside his shirt, the hand that had reached his waist and moved to his chest suddenly stopped.

“……! Don’t…… don’t touch……”

But before Christoph could voice his panic, that hand was already steadily and slowly moving from his chest towards his armpit.

“Christoph.”

Richard whispered his name as if urging him. Christoph finally couldn’t hesitate any longer and stammered out a response.

“Cl-……clothes……”

Christoph whispered weakly and shakily as the fingers slowly moved around his chest and the area near his nipple. As soon as those words left his mouth, the hand exploring his skin paused momentarily.

“Clothes?”

Richard asked in surprise, as if not expecting such an answer, staring at Christoph with a blank expression for a moment. After blinking a few times, Richard glanced at the clothes box thrown on the floor.

“You’re saying you went out to buy that?”

When Richard asked, Christoph shrank back and nodded. Richard continued to look at him without blinking for a few seconds, then suddenly frowned. The hand on Christoph’s chest clenched as if scratching hard against his skin.

“Are you kidding me?”

“It’s…… true……! While you were meeting someone in Prager, I had some time, so I stopped by Karstadt right next door……”

Christoph hurriedly explained, his voice trembling each time Richard’s hand roughly squeezed his chest.

Richard still looked at Christoph with a skeptical gaze, but after a brief moment lost in thought, he seemed to decide that Christoph was telling the truth. He clicked his tongue.

“……I know you’re very picky about clothes, but…… I didn’t expect that you, of all people, would buy a ready-made suit and be so happy about it…… Seems like you really like it.”

“……”

Christoph didn’t respond.

Richard suddenly bent down and kissed Christoph. He narrowed his eyes into a slight smile, then leaned closer to Christoph’s cheek and whispered softly as if offering gentle advice.

“So don’t let your unusual excitement show when you’re not like that. It makes me unbearably curious. Isn’t that right……?”

Richard abruptly stepped away from Christoph. He also released the hand that had been holding and stroking Christoph’s body. He took a step back and looked at Christoph as if he were admiring a work of art.

Christoph shivered, glaring at Richard with disgust, as if still feeling the touch of his hands, and muttered: “You crazy bastard.”

“Don’t like it?”

“……?”

“You don’t like it when I touch you like this, do you?”

“……That’s right.”

Christoph answered curtly, clearly showing his displeasure at Richard’s sudden question.

Richard lowered his head and burst into laughter.

“Christoph, you’re so foolish. If you say you don’t like it, it just makes me want to do it even more.”

Christoph glared at him coldly. Richard stood before him with an unreadable expression, staring down at him for a while, then suddenly said.

“Christoph. Smile.”

“……?!”

At the unexpected request, Christoph furrowed his brow and looked at Richard with a strange expression.

“Smile, Christoph.”

Richard repeated.

“I don’t want to. Why should I smile for you?”

“Because I want to see you smile. And you have to do as I say.”

Richard ignored Christoph’s refusal. Christoph widened his eyes and angrily repeated that he didn’t want to. But Richard didn’t back down, simply using his gaze to command once more.

The two stared at each other as if engaged in a staring contest. Richard looked down at Christoph with a relaxed demeanor, while Christoph’s gaze was as if he wanted to kill him on the spot if he could.

But after a long moment, Christoph finally sighed like a groan. He clicked his tongue – “Tsk” – and looked at Richard with reluctance before forcing a strained smile.

Christoph tried to produce a smile, but his face didn’t resemble a smile at all, making Richard look down at him with disdain.

“You’ve practiced smiling, so why can’t you manage a proper one? Even though I saw you smile quite well before, it turns out it was just by chance.”

“……Huh? When did I smile at you?”

Christoph asked back with a puzzled and irritated expression.

“When you returned from your afternoon outing. Didn’t you notice? You smiled as you walked in the door. Your eyes did too. ……And let me remind you, right after you entered, you asked me about the rest of today’s schedule. Don’t you remember?”

Richard asked back in surprise, and after a moment of blinking, Christoph nodded blankly.

“Yes, I think I did……” – Christoph mumbled as if talking to himself, but then suddenly his face stiffened, and he fell silent.

A long silence followed.

Christoph, receiving Richard’s gaze that stared intensely at his eyes and mouth, suddenly grew flustered and then immediately furrowed his brow.

“I didn’t smile at you.”

His mouth began to twitch. Although he couldn’t clearly recall it, the fact that he had done it made him feel embarrassed, further darkening his expression.

Richard silently looked at him for a while, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Then you shouldn’t smile so blatantly in front of me.”

His gaze turned cold as well. Not long ago, at least a polite smile, though superficial, had faded and completely disappeared. But then he suddenly smiled. It was a cold smile, much like his gaze.

“Christoph. Let me tell you something. Because I worked late last night dealing with pending tasks, I’m quite tired today as well. Initially, I planned to finish up the remaining work after coming home and go to bed early……But then you smiled. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Richard’s voice seemed strangely distorted. He continued while looking at Christoph, who seemed confused.

“If you hadn’t smiled like that, I probably wouldn’t have sought you out tonight. But when you smile like that, how could I not come?”

“……What does my smile have to do with you coming here?”

“Oh, it does. It does. When I see you smile, I just want to see that face turn into a tear-streaked one.”

As he said this, Richard laughed again. He chuckled softly like the wind, then began unbuttoning his shirt.

Richard didn’t take his eyes off Christoph’s expression for even a second as he unbuttoned his shirt and started to undo his pants, watching Christoph’s increasing discomfort. He looked at Christoph as if asking – ‘What are you doing?’ – then spoke calmly.

“Don’t just stand there, undress. Or would you rather I help you undress with my own hands?”

Christoph’s face immediately paled.

He gritted his teeth and glared at Richard for a moment. Then suddenly, he stood up and began undressing himself. Richard watched and laughed.

“You’ve become smarter.”

*************

Richard seemed very satisfied.

Under the forehead where short hair clung due to sweat, his eyes curved as if he were delighted.

Christoph couldn’t comprehend this.

Could it be that because he had a phobia of touch, the man holding his waist made him uncomfortable, causing his body to instinctively curl up and tremble?…… No, it couldn’t just be that.

Any contact on his body made him tremble, but the most unbearable sensation was that of the organ penetrating deep below.

That disgusting thing. In such a filthy place.

Just thinking about the horrific scene unfolding below made him shudder. Christoph couldn’t control it and began to tremble.

From the moment he lay down on the bed, Christoph’s body had been trembling uncontrollably, to the point of almost convulsing. Sometimes the trembling subsided, but other times it became so intense that it shook the mattress. But no matter how hard he tried to calm himself, his body couldn’t stop trembling.

Sometimes, when the limit of his endurance was reached, his face would turn pale, and his body would curl up in a shiver. The hand stroking his skin would also slow down slightly. That made the uncomfortable sensation momentarily ease, allowing him to catch his breath.

Everything was overwhelming. The sensations on his body were so intense that he felt like screaming. Every time that foreign hand touched his skin, he instinctively wanted to push it away, but each time he did, another hand would touch even more sensitive areas, causing him to fail every time.

But somehow, it was better than at the beginning. Initially, the unfamiliar sensation, as if someone were touching his body for the first time, made his mind nearly shut down because of the overwhelming strangeness. He truly thought he was about to lose his sanity.

But now, even though his mind remained as fragile as a thin sheet of glass that could shatter at any moment, Christoph could endure the terrifyingly strange sensations and remain conscious.

……Do people really enjoy this?

How could they tolerate the creepy, ticklish sensation of being touched all over their bodies – even in places they themselves had never touched?

Suddenly, in the foggy corner of Christoph’s mind, an image of Taeui appeared. The images he had just seen earlier.

Jeong Taeui, who had hugged Rick and whispered his name, didn’t seem uncomfortable at all. It might even be possible that he had enjoyed it. (Oh dear, it took Chris nearly a few years to get used to this.)

How could he possibly enjoy this?

While trying his best to calm his body, which was trembling and bouncing reflexively, Christoph vaguely thought like that with the little consciousness he had left.

Then suddenly, the sensation of the organ inside him began to swell. Just feeling the contact was enough to make him shudder, but the sensation became even more unbearable as the area was further stretched, causing Christoph to reach his limit and let out a small groan.

At that moment.

As if hearing that sound, Richard suddenly paused for a moment. He leaned closer to Christoph’s ear and whispered.

“It seems you’re enjoying this. You’re feeling it, aren’t you?”

His whisper was filled with pleasure, but his breath had also become more labored.

Christoph wanted to scream that it wasn’t true, but he remained silent. And he questioned himself – was this man truly enjoying himself?

Even though he was rubbing against a filthy place with someone he disliked, why did he seem to be enjoying it so much?

Christoph furrowed his brows—not intentionally, but due to the revolting sensation of the constant touches on his body—then looked at Richard and finally couldn’t suppress his question:

“Are you…… enjoying this?”

Christoph’s question made Richard momentarily surprised. His face showed a look of surprise as if he couldn’t process the question. He looked down at Christoph with a bewildered expression, then let out a slightly distorted smile.

“……Yes, I am.”

“What is it that…… you enjoy?”

“It’s the way you pant and look like you don’t know what to do.”

After saying that, Richard bit Christoph’s nose hard enough to cause pain. Although his face seemed satisfied, it was also filled with malice. Well, after all, he was fundamentally a cruel person. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have said, “I’m doing this because you hate it.”

Immediately after, Richard began to speed up.

His arms tightened around Christoph’s waist, moving faster. The sensation of tension below grew so intense that it filled Christoph with a terrifying sense of pressure.

At the same time, the friction became rougher and heavier, causing Christoph’s lips to tremble and grit together. It was still as unpleasant as ever. His mind wanted to scream. A chill ran down his spine, making his body tremble even more violently.

“You must be enjoying this too, you must be.” – Richard whispered with delight. Even as his body shook, Christoph glared at him with hatred, but Richard didn’t care about that look. He sat up and grabbed Christoph’s trembling organ, stroking it.

Christoph felt a shiver run through him. As the act neared its end, no matter how hard he tried to get used to this feeling, his mind continued to scream.

When he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, that he was going to lose his mind right then and there, his blue eyes widened in fear.

At that moment.

“……―!!”

A low groan from Richard echoed in Christoph’s ear. The hot breath and the sticky, wet sensation inside his body made Christoph unable to hold back. He let out a groan, and his body shook violently as his vision gradually blurred.

**************

“Why would anyone feel happy……?”

Christoph didn’t realize he had lost consciousness for a while and didn’t realize he had just woken up. In the haze of his mind, he thought like that.

But it seemed he hadn’t just thought it—he had unconsciously spoken the words aloud.

“Because you feel happy, that’s why you say it.”

An obvious answer came from right beside him.

It was only then that Christoph realized someone—Richard—was lying next to him.

When Christoph turned around, shocked as if he had just discovered someone suddenly appearing in the room he thought was empty, Richard, lying next to him, also looked surprised and widened his eyes.

“Since—since when have you been lying there……—?”

“Since you ejaculated, lost consciousness, and fell asleep. About ten minutes ago.”

Christoph stared blankly at Richard, who was lying right next to him, no more than a few centimeters apart. He hadn’t realized he had lost consciousness, so his memory was hazy.

Richard was lying on his side, propping his chin with one hand, looking down at Christoph. He frowned slightly upon seeing Christoph’s bewildered face.

“You’ve lost your mind…… Snap out of it, Christoph Tarten.”

Hearing that, Christoph gradually regained his composure, immediately frowning.

“I’m alert. You’re the one who’s lost your mind, lying here! If you’re done, then get out already!”

Christoph grumbled loudly, and Richard raised an eyebrow.

“You think I’ve had my fill, so now everything’s over……?”

Christoph’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open when he heard those slow words. It took him a moment before he could stammer out anything as if no words could escape his lips.

“Happy…… happy…… happy about what?! Do you think I’m enjoying this?!”

“Aren’t you? If not, how would you explain this?”

Richard muttered lazily and held out a hand in front of Christoph. As Christoph frowned and looked at him, he saw a sticky, milky-white liquid on Richard’s hand.

“This is yours.”

The moment Richard uttered those words, Christoph stared at his hand, frozen for a few seconds before he understood. Instantly, his face went rigid and pale.

“No, no, no…… it can’t be…… it can’t be……!—”

Richard watched Christoph stammer, his face pale with panic. Then he smirked in amusement and lowered his hand. As the hand left his sight, Christoph seemed to regain some composure, and he looked at Richard with a cold gaze.

“I can’t believe you can hold something so disgusting in your hand without being grossed out……”

“Disgusting” – Christoph added, looking at Richard with contempt. Richard, slightly puzzled, seemed about to say something but then hesitated and decided to remain silent.

“Because I pity you, I won’t say anything more…… But don’t faint in the bathroom afterward.”

Christoph listened to Richard’s muttered words with a bewildered expression, not understanding the meaning. But then, another thought crossed his mind, making him frown.

“You…… when you’re holding and rubbing your body against someone you hate, don’t you feel uncomfortable?”

Christoph asked Richard seriously, still glaring at him. Richard looked down at him with an expressionless face, then gazed into the distance as if lost in thought before glancing back at Christoph and replying.

“My feelings may hate it, but my body isn’t affected by that. And I’ve already told you, I like seeing your tearful face.”

Christoph glared at him with a look of anger, muttering coldly – “What a twisted hobby.” – before turning over and lying with his back to him.

Richard looked down at Christoph’s silent back, then slowly raised his hand and stroked from his neck down to his waist.

“……!!”

Christoph nearly jumped up as if ready for a fight, turning sharply to glare at Richard with wide eyes. Richard smirked with a twisted smile.

“Don’t do that! You’ve tortured me enough today!”

“There’s no such thing as ‘enough’ for today.”

“……! ……!!”

Christoph glared at him with hatred and then slowly backed away. He lay down at the edge of the large bed, leaving about a meter of space between them.

Richard looked indifferently at the distance between them and muttered.

“If you don’t come back right now, I’ll start round two.”

“……? Round two……??”

“I mean, we’ll ‘have fun’ one more time.”

Richard said, mimicking Christoph’s phrasing, causing Christoph’s face to immediately go rigid. Simultaneously, he glanced downward, only to realize that what had just been done hadn’t completely subsided. Christoph felt like he had seen something he shouldn’t have and quickly looked back up.

“…….”

Richard watched Christoph as he reluctantly scooted back inch by inch. It seemed that Richard might have smiled for a moment, but when Christoph looked back, the smile had disappeared as if it had been a figment of his imagination.

“Do you…… really enjoy that? I mean, not just with me, but in general. ……When you rub your body against someone else…… don’t you find it disgusting?”

Christoph asked seriously, full of confusion. Richard responded coldly.

“That’s the logic of someone with a phobia of touch.”

Christoph stopped about 50 centimeters away from Richard, frowned, and muttered as if to himself.

“Why do you enjoy that?”

Suddenly, the image of Jeong Taeui flashed through his mind.

Did he feel happy doing that? If I could do that for him…… could I be the right person? If I could do that…… could I be like the others—.

Suddenly, his vision seemed to blur.

“Huh……?”

Christoph muttered in confusion and tilted his head. He blinked a few times, then mumbled again: “Huh……?” and quickly wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, fearing something had leaked out. Fortunately, there was nothing.

Richard looked down at Christoph and muttered.

“Move a little closer. If not, I’ll start round two.”

“……―.”

Christoph snapped out of his thoughts and glared at Richard threateningly, then slowly moved. He approached like a snail, and a quiet but authoritative voice rang out.

“The more times you do it, the more the feeling increases, and whether you feel pleasure or not is just a kind of training. You should try thinking you’re feeling pleasure. If you can.”

The last words were said with a light, mocking smile. Christoph frowned in disbelief, staring intently at Richard as if waiting for something, but Richard merely shrugged as if it was a casual remark. Then Christoph sighed and continued.

“If you see someone who seems to be enjoying it and you’re curious about that feeling, try imitating them. If they moan, you moan; if they move their hips, you move yours; if they groan, you do the same. Maybe by doing that, you can partially feel what they do.”

Richard frowned as if wondering why he was saying these things, then shut his mouth as if annoyed.

Christoph stopped just close enough to touch Richard, his face serious as if deep in thought.

Imitate…… imitate what Jeong Taeui did. Maybe if he does that, he can understand why he felt good, whether he really felt good, and what he thought or felt—Maybe he could understand why he can’t do that.

Unexpectedly, a warm sensation spread in his chest, causing it to ache. Christoph held his breath for a moment, not understanding why.

“Imitate……”

Christoph muttered seriously. He tried to recall what Jeong Taeui had done before.

Even though he couldn’t remember exactly…… at least—.

Christoph glanced at Richard. He looked at Richard with disapproval, and Richard, who was looking at Christoph indifferently, raised an eyebrow as he noticed the look.

Christoph took a deep breath and whispered.

“Richard…… Richard…… Richard……”

He called Richard’s name three times, staring at him. Richard faced Christoph with a look of increasing confusion.

A few seconds of silence passed as they faced each other. Like a staring contest, they locked eyes, neither willing to look away, but eventually……

“It’s definitely not going to work.”

Christoph was the first to look away. His face turned pale, and he muttered as if he had called that name while imagining something.

“I can’t call your name like that while doing that…… Not cursing is already an accomplishment.”

Richard looked at Christoph, muttering to himself, with a puzzled expression, then gradually understood the meaning behind the words. He stared at Christoph with a look of slight surprise.

Christoph glanced at him once more, then turned away in frustration.

“Fine…… I’m too tired today to try that. I’m going to sleep. Are you planning to leave or not?”

Christoph muttered irritably, reflecting his mood, and closed his eyes. Even with his eyes shut, he frowned for a moment, but then he sighed in relief and returned to a calm expression.

“……Now that I think about it, I feel a bit better than before……”

Christoph opened his eyes and muttered as if recalling something, but then quickly shook his head. There was no reason to feel better. If anything, his mood was plummeting.

“……”

Christoph felt slightly down, but only for a moment. Then he sighed deeply to dispel that feeling and closed his eyes. Sleep began to overtake him.

Even though this person was still lying next to him, the fact that he could still sleep showed how truly exhausted he was. Christoph thought to himself and sighed once more, letting himself drift into sleep.

And beside him, Richard looked at Christoph – who had muttered something and quickly fell asleep – with an incredulous expression.

He stared at Christoph for a long time without taking his eyes off him, and when he noticed that Christoph’s breathing had become steady, he snorted softly and then smirked derisively. Then he rubbed his temples and continued to look down at Christoph intently.

“……”

After staring for a while, he smirked contemptuously again.

“Ridiculous……”

Richard muttered and then used his fingertips to touch Christoph’s cheek until it hurt slightly before standing up from the bed.

He glanced at the clock, which showed a very late hour. Then he picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and put them on.

After getting dressed, his face looked slightly more relaxed, and Richard glanced back at the bed. Seeing Christoph sleeping soundly, he frowned and clicked his tongue before smirking again.

“Ridiculous……”

Richard muttered that again, then walked over to the bed. He picked up the blanket curled at the foot of the bed and tossed it over Christoph carelessly. Then he smoothed Christoph’s hair once before turning to leave.

Before exiting the room, Richard habitually checked to see if he had forgotten anything. Suddenly, his gaze stopped on the box under the table.

The box had fallen to the floor, and the ribbon had come completely undone, with the lid slightly askew.

“……”

Richard thought for a moment, then walked over to the box.

“Knowing that he likes clothes but getting so excited over just buying a suit……”

Richard muttered mockingly, his sarcastic words unheard by anyone, and smirked.

He picked up the box to place it back on the table but suddenly noticed a bloodstain on the side of the box.

Richard frowned slightly. He lightly touched the bloodstain with his fingertip, then opened the lid to check inside.

The brand-new clothes were still spotless, wrapped again inside the paper lining. The clothes were neatly folded and resting securely in the box.

Richard ran his hand over the high-quality suit indifferently, and his gaze fell on the purchase card attached inside the paper lining. It listed the size, care instructions, and a thank-you note for the purchase.

Richard glanced at the card without much thought and was about to close the lid again, but suddenly he stopped.

Frowning slightly, he looked closely at the purchase card.

Even if there was a margin of error, the size listed on the card didn’t seem to match Christoph’s measurements. And amidst the printed care instructions, there was a carefully handwritten name. It wasn’t the name of the buyer, but the name of the person who would wear the clothes.

The moment he recognized the name, all the expression vanished from Richard’s face.

The light, comfortable smile he had earlier was completely washed away. Instead, a cold expression took its place, revealing no emotion at all.

“……Hah…….”

A cold smile briefly crossed his lips.

“No wonder…… it’s not surprising he felt happy buying these clothes.”

Richard whispered thoughtfully, his hand gently tracing the name written on the card. His fingertips slowly tightened, crumpling the card.

Richard turned to look at Christoph sleeping. His cold gaze, devoid of warmth, lingered on him for a long time.

Finally, Richard turned away and walked out.

Until he left the room and closed the door, the smile never returned to his face again.