Lost

“If you say one more word, I’ll rip your mouth apart.”

I felt like I would turn into a squid if I stayed any longer. Thankfully, it seemed my threat worked because Jung Woojin shut his mouth. But that only lasted for a moment.

“I love you.”

“Don’t say that either.”

“Bite my neck.”

“This damn bastard, seriously…”

I tried to twist my body to escape from Jung Woojin’s arms, but it was futile. After struggling for a while, I eventually gave up and sighed. Jung Woojin then touched my lips with the tip of his finger.

“Can’t we kiss?”

“What?”

“I want to kiss you.”

I was completely dumbfounded. I looked at Jung Woojin with an incredulous expression and asked,

“Then what have you been doing this whole time?”

“That was me kissing you. This time, I want Sunbae to kiss me.”

“Your dreams are too big.”

“Didn’t you say it’s better to dream big, Sunbae?”

“When did I ever say that? I don’t remember.”

“That’s unfair.”

“Go out and buy some strawberries.”

At my words, Jung Woojin pouted and sighed, burying his face into the pillow. As I stared at the back of his head, I suddenly had a strange thought.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t regain my memories.

“When are you going to sell the house?”

“If I make a call, it’ll be sold right away.”

Jung Woojin, who had been lying with his face in the pillow, turned his head slightly to look at me. His face was half-buried in the pillow, his cheeks and eyes pressed in, but he still looked pretty. I wasn’t uncomfortable now, and I was quite satisfied, so did I really need to struggle to regain my memories? Especially when I looked at that face, it made me think even more so. As I blinked quietly like I was appreciating a piece of art, Jung Woojin slowly lifted his face and kissed my lips.

“Just once, please.”

“What? A kiss?”

“Yes.”

“You just kissed me.”

“But it wasn’t Sunbae kissing me, was it?”

A kiss is a kiss, so I didn’t understand why he was being so picky. It wasn’t the first time anyway, and I thought about just giving in and doing it, but I couldn’t. From my experience, Jung Woojin was a crazy person who would get excited over even a single kiss. I made up my mind not to do it, no matter what, when Jung Woojin spoke again.

“If you kiss me now, we won’t have sex today…”

Before Jung Woojin could finish his sentence, I suddenly got up and tackled him. We collided so hard that our teeth clicked, but fortunately, there was no blood. I shoved my tongue into his open mouth, roughly poked and licked around, then pulled back. When I looked up, I saw Jung Woojin staring at me with wide eyes. Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I asked,

“Happy now?”

“Sunbae.”

“Hey, if you change your mind now…”

“If you leave a mark on my neck, I won’t ask for anything until the day after tomorrow.”

“What?”

“…No, that’s too much of a loss for me…”

“Hey! Don’t change your mind, you sneaky bastard!”

“Wait a minute, not that… Sunbae, wait, that’s not…”

Jung Woojin desperately tried to stop me as I lunged at him, ready to bite his neck.

＊ ＊ ＊

The phone rang loudly. The sound soon stopped, but I was already awake. I tossed and turned before opening my eyes to find Jung Woojin covering his phone and smiling apologetically.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

He was already fully dressed and ready to go out. I blinked a few times before groggily sitting up, and Jung Woojin sat by the bed and kissed my cheek.

“I’m leaving now. We’re still on for three o’clock, right?”

Maybe because it was so close, I could hear everything through the phone. The voice sounded familiar, but I was still half-asleep, so my mind was foggy. I let out a long yawn as the lips that were pressed against my cheek slowly moved down to touch my neck.

“A hospital visit? Why would I go there?”

“No, I’ll leave in 10 minutes.”

Before the person on the other end could finish speaking, Jung Woojin turned off the phone without hesitation. He then started rubbing and lightly biting the skin on my neck, but it didn’t hurt much. I yawned again and asked,

“Is someone hurt?”

“Seems like it. Make sure to answer when I call.”

I think they mentioned Dajeong earlier? Did I hear wrong? I looked at Jung Woojin, who was talking as if it was none of his concern, and tilted my head before saying,

“Okay. You should hurry and go. Aren’t you running late?”

“It’s fine; I said I’d leave in 10 minutes.”

What do you mean, “fine”…? I’m pretty sure I just heard someone yelling that it wasn’t okay. I scratched the back of my head and yawned again as he snuggled into my arms like a child. His suit, which had been perfectly wrinkle-free, was already crumpled.

“Your clothes are getting all wrinkled.”

“Please reply to my texts.”

“I said I would. Now get up.”

“I called the landlord for your apartment yesterday, and they said it was rented out right away. Someone’s moving in as early as tomorrow.”

That was fast. Maybe it’s because it’s near the university. I nodded absentmindedly and sighed as I saw that Jung Woojin had no intention of getting up. I got out of bed first, realizing that if I didn’t, he would cling to me for not just 10 minutes but maybe an hour or two.

“Do you want breakfast now? Should I make you something?”

“Aren’t you supposed to go to work?”

“It’s fine; I have time.”

What do you mean, “fine”? I heard everything you said earlier. Clicking my tongue, I walked out into the living room and was greeted by the smell of soybean paste stew. I turned my head and glanced at the clock with a puzzled expression. It was 7 AM. When did he even get up to cook? Feeling a bit awkward, I rubbed the back of my neck as Jung Woojin clung to me from behind again.

“I might finish around 3, so the timing is a bit tricky… Should we watch a movie before dinner?”

“A movie?”

“If you don’t want to watch a movie, is there something else you’d like to do?”

Not really. I dragged my feet across the living room with Jung Woojin stuck to my back and headed to the kitchen. On the stove, I saw a steaming pot and a spotless, pristine sink. After silently taking in the kitchen, I pulled away from Jung Woojin, who was kissing the back of my neck, and said,

“I don’t like crowded places.”

“Really? Actually, I don’t like them much either. How about we skip eating out and have dinner at home?”

Seeing the excited look on Jung Woojin’s face made me chuckle.

“Then why did you suggest eating out?”

“I thought you might feel cooped up, Sunbae.”

I wasn’t feeling cooped up at all, but I appreciated the thought behind his suggestion. I reached up and gently patted his neatly styled hair a couple of times, and he quickly relaxed and smiled. Then I noticed the clock again. The 10 minutes that Jung Woojin mentioned earlier had long passed. I pulled away from him as he tried to cling to me again, took his hand, and led him to the front door.

“Hurry up and get to work.”

“Where’s your phone?”

“It’s probably on the bed. Now go.”

“Make sure to answer my calls. And my texts too.”

“I said I would.”

Damn, he talks a lot. I waved my hand at him, trying to get him to leave, and he frowned. I could see his expensive-looking suit was wrinkled from rubbing against me so much. I clicked my tongue inwardly and brushed off his clothes, and then he lightly kissed my lips.

“I’ll be back.”

“At this rate, we’ll spend an hour just saying goodbye.”

“Should I bring something back?”

“No, just go do your work, please.”

When I sighed deeply, Jung Woojin then kissed my forehead.

“Make sure to eat breakfast. Don’t skip it.”

“I will.”

“Call me after you finish eating. Before you eat too.”

“I got it…”

“Sunbae, you should shave too…”

Jung Woojin reached out and touched my chin. In the end, I walked barefoot to the front door, opened it myself, and pushed Jung Woojin outside. Fortunately, he didn’t resist and easily stepped out. I waved my hand to hurry him along, but he hesitated, then stuck his face through the crack in the door and said,

“Give me a goodbye kiss.”

“Are you a child?”

“Hurry up.”

“If I do it, will you actually leave this time?”

I glanced at the clock, which had already passed 7:15, sighed, and asked. Jung Woojin nodded. He was already late. What am I, his mom sending him off to school? I reluctantly leaned in and kissed his lips, which were full of expectation.

“Have a good day.”

“Sunbae, say it one more time with my name.”

“Aren’t you late?”

“Hurry, I’ll really go this time.”

“Oh, for crying out loud. Woojin-ah, have a good day.”

Jung Woojin finally smiled widely at my words. Then he suddenly swung the door open, grabbed the back of my neck, and forced me to lift my head as he captured my lips in a deep kiss. His tongue pushed into my mouth, and just when I thought he would pull away, he didn’t let go until I struggled to break free.

“Mmm, ugh! Hmph, mmph!”

I couldn’t even manage to utter a short word telling him to stop. After sucking on my lips and licking inside my mouth for a while, Jung Woojin licked his now flushed lips and smiled, his eyes crinkling with delight.

“Hah, huh…”

“I’m off now.”

How many times have I heard that already? Still out of breath and struggling to breathe properly, I kicked my feet at him.

“Just go already!”

“I love you.”

“For the love of… just go, damn it.”

“I really will this time.”

“Alright, you idiot, go! Just go already!”

When I yelled at him, Jung Woojin burst out laughing. Then, he finally kissed the corner of my eye and closed the door behind him. The clock’s hands were already pointing to 7:30.

After finally sending off Jung Woojin, I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, and turned on the stove. As I took out the side dishes from the fridge and scooped out some rice, my phone rang loudly. I hurried back to the bed to check, and the name ‘Jung Woojin’ appeared on the screen. He hadn’t been gone long at all. Sighing, I swiped to answer the call. Before I could even say hello, Jung Woojin spoke first.

“I’m about to eat.”

“I didn’t see it; I was washing up. Why?”

This guy really has nothing better to do, does he? And isn’t he driving right now? Texting and calling, too. What if he gets into an accident? I walked back to the kitchen with my phone and said,

“Aren’t you driving?”

“You were driving when you texted, right?”

The pot on the stove was boiling when I reached the kitchen. I quickly turned off the gas and stirred the stew with a ladle as I spoke.

“Don’t text or call while you’re driving.”

“Do you really need to ask? What if you get into an accident?”

What kind of nonsense is this? Hiring a manager just to text and call during a 20-minute commute? It was ridiculous. I couldn’t help but laugh as I said,

“I’m hanging up. I’m going to eat.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“It’s not fine for me. Don’t text or call while you’re working.”

I hung up, cutting off his urgent voice. I expected him to call right back, but surprisingly, the phone remained silent. After waiting a moment for his call, I eventually set the phone on the table and started ladling the stew. It was spinach soybean paste stew, and just the smell made my mouth water. As I finished setting the table and started eating the stew, it tasted much better than anything from a restaurant. The rice was perfectly cooked, each grain distinct, and even the ordinary piece of napa kimchi was fresh, crunchy, and delicious. It felt like I was dining at a high-end traditional Korean restaurant, or even better than that.

Admiring it internally, I ended up eating another bowl of rice. Even during that time, my phone remained silent. Thankfully, it seemed like Jung Woojin understood what I said. I considered doing the dishes but felt too lazy, so I decided to leave them for later. Just then, I heard a text notification. Of course, it was from Jung Woojin.

What’s the point of telling me that now? I opened the fridge and checked the second shelf, as Jung Woojin mentioned, and sure enough, there was a transparent Lock & Lock container with white squid wrapped around blanched water parsley. Even though I was so full I thought I might burst, it looked so delicious that, as if possessed, I took out the container and squeezed some gochujang onto a small plate. Picking up a piece of squid with my fingers, I dipped it in the gochujang and put it in my mouth, and a sigh escaped me.

“This guy is crazy.”

Jung Woojin, that lunatic, why on earth is he a model? Overwhelmed, I sent a reply to Jung Woojin.

As I was about to turn off the screen after sending the message, the phone rang. It was Jung Woojin. I answered while popping another piece of squid into my mouth.

“Yeah.”

As I chewed on the squid, there was a brief silence on Jung Woojin’s end. Even without seeing, I could imagine him smiling, just like when I kissed him goodbye earlier. In any case, with cooking skills like this, maybe I should go out and earn money while he stays home and takes care of the house.

“Hmm. Galbi-jjim.”

Hearing his excited voice, my mood began to lift as well. Worried I might end up smiling foolishly along with him, I cleared my throat and said,

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“Do we need to talk on the phone?”

I was about to say I’m not a child, but I let it go. It seemed like Jung Woojin found happiness in doing things for me, not because he saw me as a kid. I decided to just take it easy.

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to.”

Alright, do whatever you want. I smirked, and then I heard the sound of a kiss through the phone. Feeling bewildered, I turned my head to check the time. It hadn’t even been an hour since Jung Woojin left. It was like he was possessed by a ghost who hadn’t had enough kisses in life, always acting like that whenever he got the chance. Feeling awkward, I scratched my neck and hung up.

I put the remaining squid back in the fridge and left the small plate with the gochujang in the sink. After a long moment of hesitation, I sighed. I should do the dishes, but I’m too lazy. Maybe I’ll do them later. As long as I finish before Jung Woojin gets back… I stared at the sink for a while, then opened the fridge again, looking for something to drink. I spotted the milk. Remembering how Jung Woojin had heated up some milk with honey for me yesterday, I heated the milk. I wanted to add honey, but I couldn’t find where it was kept. It wasn’t in the fridge, and it wasn’t in the sink cabinet either. I ended up opening all the cupboards and finally found the honey. Not knowing how much to add, I just scooped it in with a spoon. After stirring it a few times and taking a sip of the steaming milk, I nearly burned my tongue.

“Damn it.”

It was way too sweet. I glared at the mug in frustration. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out, but I couldn’t drink it either. So I wandered around the house, holding the undrinkable milk.

I’d been here for quite some time, but I had never really explored the house. I’d only ever been in the living room, bathroom, master bedroom, and kitchen. I grabbed the doorknob of a door a bit further from the master bedroom that I had never opened before. When I opened the door, I found a plain room with just a single bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. It was so dull it felt empty. Is this a guest room? There wasn’t much to see, so I was about to close the door when I noticed another door inside.

I walked into the room, holding the mug. When I opened the door opposite the bed, I found a large space, unlike the room. It was like a library, with several bookshelves, three computers, and a monitor much bigger than the one in the living room. I knew this place was big, but I never expected there to be a library inside. I’d never seen Jung Woojin reading, so I guess he liked books after all.

As I looked through the books on the shelves and walked deeper inside, I spotted a dark wooden desk. There was only one laptop on the desk. How many computers does he have? I put the mug down on the desk and pulled out the chair. As I was about to sit down, I noticed something under the desk. I bent down and saw a box filled with what looked like videotapes.

“…?”

They were tapes with no titles. Puzzled, I looked at the blank black tapes, and an odd thought crossed my mind.

“….”

Could these be… adult videos? I turned my gaze back to the tapes in the box. There were so many that I couldn’t even count them. If that whole box was filled with videos, then if they really were adult videos, Jung Woojin could probably start a business selling them. Should I pretend not to know? I was still debating when I started laughing. Seriously, this is ridiculous. Do people still watch adult videos on tapes these days? I bet if I turned on one of his computers, there’d be tons of videos on it too. I picked up the mug from the desk, grabbed the top tape from the box, and headed to the living room.