D Minus

“Do you… want to sleep with me?”“Yeah.”It was a hard thing to say, but Jonghwa answered without a moment’s hesitation. Hajin felt embarrassed by his own flustered state. Jonghwa, seemingly unfazed, quickly stripped off his pants. Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Hajin gaped as Jonghwa methodically removed his T-shirt as well.“…You seem like… you’ve been waiting for this…”“I feel like I’m gonna burst.”Jonghwa’s neck, seen up close, was also flushed red, revealing that he wasn’t entirely unaffected. He climbed onto the bed and immediately pulled down Hajin’s pants. Hajin’s pale, unblemished skin, untouched by the sun, was exposed. Jonghwa froze, staring at Hajin’s body as if he were admiring a work of art.“…Shin Jonghwa.”“Yeah.”“Do you even know how to do it?”“What, sex?”“…”Though Hajin had asked first, the blunt response left him speechless. Jonghwa, breathing heavily, pulled off Hajin’s top almost aggressively. Left only in his underwear, Hajin subtly covered his nipples and nodded.“…You’ve never done it before.”“Then we can do it now.”“How can you do it if you don’t kn—Ah…!”Hajin’s questioning was cut short by a sudden moan. Jonghwa, as if not wanting to hear more, had slipped his hand into Hajin’s underwear. He spread the pre-cum from the tip of Hajin’s penis onto his palm and then pulled down Hajin’s briefs to his ankles. The large hand, now slick with pre-cum, moved to create a sticky friction that intensified with every stroke.“Ah, huh…”As it was his first time, Jonghwa’s touch was awkward. When he grasped the shaft and moved his hand up and down, pre-cum oozed from the split flesh. Climbing atop Hajin’s slender body, Jonghwa kissed him while his thumb rubbed the now hardened glans. Hajin’s fair skin trembled.“Wait, hold on a second…”The rough touch alternated between pain and pleasure, and when Jonghwa’s slick hand swept from the shaft to the testicles, stars exploded in Hajin’s vision. Hajin pressed his knees into Jonghwa’s thighs. Jonghwa, still awkward at kissing, licked Hajin’s lips, coating them in saliva.“Hey… hey…!”Unable to contain his embarrassment, Hajin moaned with his eyes tightly shut, only to suddenly lift his head. Jonghwa had, without any warning, taken his penis into his mouth.“Don’t, don’t do that…! Huh…”He could barely speak. His head tilted back on its own. Jonghwa ignored Hajin’s protests and sucked the shaft hard enough for his cheeks to hollow out. When he enveloped the soft glans with his saliva-slicked lips and sucked it with a popping sound, Hajin let out a breathless moan.“Hah, ugh…”Hajin’s grip on Jonghwa’s hair weakened entirely. With one hand on Jonghwa’s head, Hajin moaned so hard his throat hurt. Jonghwa, pushing the penis down to his throat, gagged once, chuckled mischievously, then lowered his head to take a testicle into his mouth. Hajin’s eyes rolled back.“Agh…!”One of his swollen testicles was taken into Jonghwa’s mouth. He sucked it like a piece of candy, caressing the soft flesh. He didn’t forget to rub the glans, from which pre-cum poured, with his thumb. Hajin’s hips lifted off the bed. His thighs trembled uncontrollably, and goosebumps spread across his back.“Ugh…”Even his moans grew quieter. He was on the verge of climax. His head thrown back so far that his throat stood out, Hajin gritted his teeth. He was unconsciously thrusting his hips upward while squeezing Jonghwa’s head between his thighs. His whole body tingled, and static surged from his toes to his head.Jonghwa, his cheeks wet with saliva, grinned as he resumed sucking Hajin’s penis in earnest. He covered the glans with his lips, sucking hard, then shoved the entire shaft down his throat. The increasing mix of pre-cum and saliva produced a slurping sound.“Hnng…”All the hair on Hajin’s body stood on end. It was the first time in his life that he came because of someone else. He ejaculated into Jonghwa’s throat, hips raised off the bed. He didn’t even have time to feel the shame or embarrassment of coming in someone’s mouth. Goosebumps spread from his neck to his ears, making his shoulders shiver.“Huh…?”He only came back to his senses a bit later. Jonghwa, who had swallowed Hajin’s semen, was now kneeling on the bed, taking out his own penis. It stood straight up, far more impressive than Hajin’s, and pointed directly at his navel.Still dazed from the afterglow of his climax, Hajin watched Jonghwa begin to masturbate while staring directly at him. He hurriedly tried to get up, but Jonghwa shook his head, stopping him.“Fuck…”Jonghwa’s hand moved faster and faster. Not knowing what else to do, Hajin’s body tingled as he watched Jonghwa masturbate, feeling a tremor in his thighs that hadn’t fully subsided. Hajin breathed heavily, his eyes unfocused, as he watched Jonghwa’s own eyes gradually glaze over.Jonghwa, frowning and exhaling hot breaths, soon tilted his head back and ejaculated. His thick semen spilled over Hajin’s belly and thighs.“Why… why did you do it alone…”Only after Jonghwa finished did Hajin fully regain his senses. Feeling oddly guilty, he asked in a small voice, but Jonghwa didn’t respond. The muscles in his clenched jaw stood out.“What could you do, when you’re in pain?”“…”Jonghwa, taking several deep breaths, collapsed onto Hajin. His large body made it hard to breathe, but Hajin didn’t let it show. The smell of semen was pungent, and his heart pounded uncontrollably. With Jonghwa’s forehead resting on his chest, Hajin heard a chuckle.“Your heart is beating so damn fast.”“…I just came.”“That’s why it’s beating fast?”“…Of course.”His answer grew quieter. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might stop. Jonghwa pressed firmly on Hajin’s chest near his heart, and laughed again.“Hey.”“Yeah.”“I think I like you.”“…What?”“Isn’t this what liking someone is?”“…”With that ambiguous question, Jonghwa fell silent. The room was suddenly filled with silence. Hajin’s chest, which had been heaving heavily, gradually calmed down, and Jonghwa, who had been breathing hard against that chest, also became quiet. When Hajin cautiously spoke again, the stillness in the room was palpable.“…No.”“…”“This isn’t liking someone.”“Then what is it?”“You’ll find someone you really like someday. Learn from that person.”“…”“It’s not me.”“Why isn’t it you?”“This isn’t liking someone.”“Fuck, what…”“Really fall in love, Jonghwa…”“…”“…It’s not me.”For some reason, Hajin’s voice was tinged with moisture. Jonghwa did not respond.＊＊＊“There are all sorts of things in this world.”“Yeah, it’s my first time coming to a place like this too.”Hajin, wearing a hat to hide his bald head, looked around curiously. The wall covered with Polaroid photos caught his eye. It was an escape room cafe that had recently opened in town. Despite being in the countryside, it was bustling with people; it seemed like all the local high school and college students came here to hang out.“Isn’t this something kids do?”“Yeah, it’s a bit embarrassing…”Drawn in by an unknown name, the two chatted openly while waiting for their turn. The place was filled with students in uniforms and young college students, making them feel out of place as adults worn down by life.“You two, please come this way.”As they debated whether to leave, their turn came. After signing a densely written waiver, they put their phones and belongings into a locker as instructed. The escape room was surprisingly well-designed. Once they were ready, an employee in a black T-shirt approached and blindfolded them. Jonghwa, grumbling loudly enough for everyone to hear, got pinched on the arm by Hajin.“You have 60 minutes to escape. You can use up to three hints. To use a hint, please use the phone on the wall.”The employee rattled off the instructions like a rapper and disappeared without giving them time to ask questions. As soon as they heard the door close, Hajin removed his blindfold and saw the ropes tied around Jonghwa’s wrists.“When did they tie this?”“Just now. Hey, take off my blindfold.”Jonghwa, whose wrists were tied and fastened to a metal frame, grimaced. After removing Jonghwa’s blindfold, Hajin looked around with interest. The dimly lit rectangular room had a desk, a wardrobe, and a flashlight. Impressed by the setup, Hajin picked up the flashlight from the desk and turned it on.“Shit, untie me before you start exploring.”Hajin, engrossed in the room’s eerie atmosphere, had forgotten about Jonghwa. Apologizing belatedly, he fiddled with the rope.“Why isn’t it coming off?”“There must be a trick to it.”Hajin examined the rope closely, feeling like a detective. He had once wanted to be a police officer when he was very young, and this felt like living out that unfulfilled dream. As he fidgeted with the rope, Jonghwa chuckled dryly.“Fuck, why tie me up? You’re here too.”“You were just in front, that’s all.”“They didn’t tie you up because you’re cute.”“…What are you talking about? Ah, it’s already been five minutes.”Blushing at the random comment, Hajin glanced at the clock on the wall to change the subject. Jonghwa’s wrist muscles bulged as he focused on the rope.“Got it.”With a strange creaking sound, the rope loosened and Jonghwa’s hands slipped free. Hajin, who had been pondering how to untie it, gaped.“Hey…! You can’t just force it off like that!”“What does it matter? As long as it’s off.”“They didn’t design it to be forced off!”“We just need to escape. Stop nagging.”Freed from his bonds, Jonghwa shrugged his shoulders in satisfaction and took the flashlight from Hajin. The yellow beam of the flashlight scanned the dark corners of the room.“Hey…! Numbers on the wall!”“Where?”“There!”There were numbers written just below the clock. They were visible when illuminated by the flashlight and hidden when in darkness. Ecstatic at finding the first clue, Hajin bounced around, clasping Jonghwa’s hand holding the flashlight, and slowly moved it to the right.“Zero, two, five, eight.”“0, 2, 5, 8?”“It must be a password. Let’s try opening the drawers.”Hajin headed towards the desk with a light step, resembling a fluttering butterfly. While Hajin input “0, 2, 5, 8” into the locks of each closed drawer, Jonghwa stood still, gazing at Hajin’s back.A teacher was a teacher. Even though Jonghwa didn’t understand the quizzes at all, Hajin solved them smoothly, leaving only one final problem with 20 minutes remaining. Hajin placed the last lock, which had been opened without a hitch, on the desk and smiled proudly.“Aren’t I smart?”“Yeah. I didn’t get any of it.”“It’s okay. I got it.”They even had to arrange the Korean flag and convert numbers into letters. While Hajin diligently scribbled in a notebook found in the first drawer to solve the puzzles, Jonghwa busied himself by kicking the wall or trying to dismantle the air conditioner, receiving warnings from the staff.“Is there something inside?”“What?”“I don’t know. You check…”The last key they found in the room was for opening the wardrobe. Hajin confidently opened the wardrobe and saw it led to a passageway. He stepped back with a wary expression. Jonghwa, who had not understood a single puzzle, stood behind Hajin with a puzzled expression and peeked inside the wardrobe.“It seems like we need to go through here to finish.”“Isn’t there something in the middle?”“What? Oh… there is something.”The wardrobe was pitch black, and there was something in the middle. Since it wasn’t moving, it seemed to be a doll or an object rather than a person. Jonghwa turned on the flashlight that he had placed on the desk and headed back to the wardrobe.“Ahh!”“What!”“Fuck!”“What!”Hajin, who was standing closely behind Jonghwa, jumped into the air. Jonghwa had let out a sudden scream.“What is it!”“I don’t know, damn it, you look!”Jonghwa, who had dropped the flashlight, pushed Hajin forward. Scared by Jonghwa’s reaction, Hajin stepped away from the wardrobe, even more frightened.“There’s a ghost.”“A ghost?”“A ghost doll. Covered in blood.”“Oh, come on. I thought it was something serious. You got scared because of that?”“It’s terrifying.”Contrary to his large, bear-like stature, Jonghwa was visibly scared. Hajin, who had been nervously tense, burst into a laugh and lightly hit Jonghwa’s arm. For all his bravado, he was just a scaredy-cat.“You’re not a kid.”“You go first.”“Fine, I will.”Hajin chuckled, picked up the flashlight from the floor, and stepped confidently into the wardrobe. The next thing heard was a high-pitched scream.“I can’t go.”“Me neither.”It wasn’t just a doll. The doll, drenched in fake blood, was life-sized and dressed in clothes, making it indistinguishable from a real person. The eerie eyes were so creepy that when Hajin made eye contact, he almost fainted. They had to pass by the doll to escape, but neither of them had the courage. Although not generally fearful, Hajin had always been terrified of ghosts since he was a child. The doll in the wardrobe looked exactly like a ghost from a horror movie.“Why can’t you go?”“I’m scared of ghosts too.”“You?”“Yeah, I’ve always been afraid of ghosts, can’t even watch horror movies.”They sat leaning against the wall, chatting quietly after firmly closing the wardrobe door. Hajin couldn’t believe Jonghwa was afraid of ghosts. He looked like he could take on any ghost, but here he was, scared.“We have to get out eventually.”“Fuck, they really went all out.”“I didn’t expect a ghost either.”They referred to the doll as “the ghost” and spoke candidly. They had forgotten that an employee would come for them if the 60-minute limit was exceeded. They had signed the waiver without reading it carefully.“Should we use a hint? Do we really have to go through there?”“Yeah, let’s use one.”They remembered they still had three hints left. Hajin quickly grabbed the phone on the wall. A voice on the other end asked, “How far have you gotten?”“We opened the wardrobe, but there’s a blood-stained doll inside.”“You’ve solved everything.”“Do we need to go past the doll to find the door?”“Yes. If you search the doll carefully, you’ll find the key. Use it to open the door and exit.”“…What?”The call ended abruptly. Not only did they have to pass by the doll, but they also had to search it. If they had known the rules, they might have waited out the remaining time, but unaware, they looked as serious as if escaping a room about to explode.“Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors.”“That’s unfair. I’m sick; you go first.”“What…? Why does being sick matter here?”“I can’t go in there. You go first.”“How am I supposed to touch that thing? Damn it… it’s creepy.”Jonghwa shuddered genuinely. Maybe he was more scared of ghosts than Hajin.“Just give it a try.”“Damn it, it’s too short.”“You just need to take one step forward.”“No. It’s too scary.”Unable to get closer, they decided to drag the doll into the light. They tied the long rope, which had bound Jonghwa’s wrists when they first entered the room, into a lasso and threw it toward the doll, but it wasn’t easy. Jonghwa, pressed against the wall, refused to move a step, only sticking his hand into the wardrobe and barking orders. Hajin chuckled at his cowardice.“Coward.”“I’m really scared of ghosts.”Now, his unnecessarily large frame seemed almost cute.“I got it!”“Really? Great! Pull it!”After more than 10 minutes of fishing in the air, the rope finally caught on the doll’s head. Jonghwa, excited, pulled the rope with all his strength, while Hajin stood next to him, cheering. The doll, tied to the rope, toppled to the floor and was dragged across the room.“Fuck this…”“…”The cost of the escape room was 40,000 won for two people. They paid an additional 100,000 won for damages, bringing their total to 140,000 won. They walked silently through the cool evening breeze.“The head just came off, damn it…”The doll’s head, tied to the rope, had fallen off and rolled across the floor. They hadn’t realized the doll was fixed in place and pulled with all their might, even putting their feet on the wall. Walking shoulder to shoulder, they turned to look at each other almost simultaneously. Light brown eyes met dark black ones.“Unbelievable…”“Crazy…”They both burst into laughter. The chilly wind tousling their hair mixed with their pleasant laughter, creating a harmonious and delightful sound.“The sea breeze feels so good.”“Aren’t you cold?”“Not really.”Even though the breeze wasn’t particularly cold, Jonghwa took off his jacket and draped it over Hajin’s shoulders. Hajin didn’t mind the gesture and stayed quiet. They had woken up late, around 2 p.m., made tteokbokki, and watched a movie. Feeling sluggish, they went for a walk and found it was already past 8 p.m.With winter approaching, darkness fell early. Jonghwa and Hajin sat on the sand, without a mat, staring at the shimmering sea.