Red Mansion

Chungrim and Kim Sung-kyung, along with Mero, had been living together as a family for over a year. Many things had changed during that time, but the biggest change was for Sung-kyung. After 24 years of life, he finally had a resident registration number. Now, if he got sick, he could go to the local hospital, and he could use a phone under the name Kim Sung-kyung without having to borrow someone else’s identity.In the early hours of the morning, while Chungrim slept, Sung-kyung would often secretly take out his ID card, which featured an awkward photo of himself. The thirteen-digit number next to his name fascinated him. He hadn’t looked at it many times, yet he had memorized it instantly. He even tried scratching the numbers with his fingernail, but they didn’t come off. It felt like no matter how much time passed, he would never forget them.“Keep staring at it all night if you want.”Sung-kyung was so absorbed in fiddling with the hard ID card that he didn’t notice Chungrim approaching from behind. Startled by his voice, Sung-kyung quickly raised his head.Sung-kyung was sitting in the middle of the sunroom, which had a clear view outside. He was crouched with the lights off, reminiscent of when he first arrived at this home, a sight that made Chungrim’s heart drop more than once. However, unlike before, the Red Mansion was not visible, and Kim Sung-kyung was no longer rambling nonsense.“I was just about to go to sleep.”Chungrim, who had taken the warm ID card from Sung-kyung’s hand, lay down beside him. The numbers on the card glinted in the moonlight pouring through the wide window. With his arm supporting his head, Chungrim held the ID card up high and read the numbers aloud.“…0, 1, 2, 3.”They had decided on January 23rd as his birthday. Sung-kyung didn’t know when he was born, but he vaguely remembered a time when they celebrated in a season where chocolate snacks didn’t melt. That was the only clue he had about his birthdate.Sung-kyung wanted a birthday that was easy to remember, a date he could recall without writing it down on a label or losing his mind. The numbers ‘1, 2, 3,’ easy to remember and the first numbers he learned, became his birthday.“Hey.”Chungrim suddenly sat up. The moonlight highlighted the contours of his bare upper body. Sung-kyung clenched his knees tightly, his gaze drifting over Chungrim’s firm body before meeting his eyes. Even when Chungrim reached out his hand, Sung-kyung didn’t close his eyes.The large hand ruffled Sung-kyung’s messy hair before retreating.“Yes.”Chungrim no longer hit him. It had been a while since Sung-kyung was sure of this. A faint smile played on Sung-kyung’s lips as he slowly replied.“Do you want to become my son?”If the older boys knew, they would be shocked. It would be fun to watch their reaction. Chungrim’s eyes sparkled mischievously.“Become your son?”Not understanding what he meant, Sung-kyung looked down near his thigh, making Chungrim burst into laughter. Every time he laughed, a low, gentle vibration echoed in Sung-kyung’s ears.“I mean, be my son legally.”He chuckled, throwing out the joke. Ah, that’s what he meant. If he became his son, could they be legally tied? There was no reason to refuse since both his parents had passed away. Sung-kyung lowered his knees and leaned his upper body towards Chungrim.“…Can we do that?”Chungrim laughed, shrugging his shoulders at the cautious question. He expected Kim Sung-kyung to respond like this. Crazy bastard. Chungrim held the edge of the ID card and lightly tapped Sung-kyung’s forehead with the corner.Chungrim wanted to tie everything about Kim Sung-kyung to himself. That was a big reason why he created an identity for him. Whether it was physically, emotionally, mentally, or legally, he wanted to leave a mark everywhere to declare that Kim Sung-kyung was his.“We can. But not for things like this.”The slightly rounded corner of the ID card slowly trailed down his cheek, passed his pajama collar, and deliberately brushed against his nipple. Sung-kyung’s gaze followed the ID card downwards. The hard card prodded at his groin, hidden by his pajamas.“…Why?”“What kind of father screws his son? No matter how much of a trash bin we lived in.”The now completely ruined place, unrecognizable, where Kim Sung-kyung spent his entire life and met Chungrim, was the trash bin he referred to. Although it was just a legal connection, there was no reason not to. But since Chungrim said it, he couldn’t even entertain the hypothetical.“Then I don’t want to.”Chungrim’s lips curled up quietly. He tossed the IDChungrim’s lips quietly curved into a smile. He tossed the ID card aside and slipped his hand under Sung-kyung’s pajama bottoms, feeling around above the underwear and gently kneading.“Ah, ah…”“It would feel like a sin to do this with your son, wouldn’t it?”Even as he murmured this, his large hand kept moving, grasping the outline of Sung-kyung’s erection through the underwear and slowly rubbing the tip. The intense pleasure made Sung-kyung moan.“It feels like I’d be more excited doing this with you, but do you still not want it?”“Yes, yes.”Sung-kyung buried his forehead into Chungrim’s shoulder. Every time Chungrim moved his hand, the muscles in his broad chest rippled, which excited Sung-kyung even more. His thighs kept pressing together.“You’re really into this.”“Ah, just a little harder…”Sung-kyung’s erection felt constricted inside his underwear. He tried to reach down, but Chungrim roughly pushed his hand away.“Stay still.”Sung-kyung had no choice but to cling to Chungrim’s shoulder, almost whining. The teasing stimulation was driving him crazy. He wanted Chungrim to be rough, to penetrate deep and make him completely soaked. Just thinking about the sex they had a few hours ago made his erection even harder.Sung-kyung tightened his lower abdomen and began to move his body slightly. He ran his hands frantically over Chungrim’s exposed shoulders, arms, and waist, showing his excitement openly. But Chungrim only gripped and shook the wet outline of his erection.“It’s so frustrating…”“Do you want to come?”“Yes, yes…”The words trailed off, thick with excitement. Sung-kyung couldn’t control himself and kept twisting his hips. Chungrim tightly gripped his small head buried in his shoulder. Then he pulled down Sung-kyung’s underwear band. His erect penis sprang up. Chungrim started stimulating it with his fingers.“Ah, ugh!”Sung-kyung kept letting out sharp moans. Chungrim exhaled the rising heat in long breaths. He could feel his skin scratching under his tightly clenched fingers, but it didn’t hurt. It only excited him more.As he rubbed the wet glans, Sung-kyung’s slender body began to twitch briefly. Sitting between Chungrim’s raised knees, Sung-kyung’s toes and knees poked at his inner thighs, providing stimulation. Chungrim furrowed his brow, focusing only on drawing out the excitement.“I’m going to…”At those words, the hand shaking his erection became rougher. Their tightly pressed torsos rose and fell with their heavy breathing. Sung-kyung twisted his hips once and then ejaculated. The sticky fluid flowed uncontrollably between Chungrim’s palm and fingers.Chungrim didn’t release his tight grip on Sung-kyung’s nape until he finished ejaculating. He knew that if he saw his flushed face, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.“Ha, ha.”The freshly changed pajamas were stained with milky fluid. Sung-kyung looked down at himself with a dazed gaze. Chungrim’s long fingers were covered in semen, still wrapped around his penis. It felt even more thrilling and pleasurable than when he was on drugs.“Get up.”Chungrim lifted Sung-kyung’s limp body and began unbuttoning his pajamas. The semen made the fabric slippery, causing his fingers to fumble a few times, but he eventually managed to strip him. The chest and waist that had been sucked and bitten all night were covered in bruises. Seeing that made Chungrim’s mouth go dry again.“Hyung…”Sung-kyung looked up at him, holding his arm and drawing out the word. Chungrim sighed shortly and gripped the soft pajama top tightly. After fully stripping him, he used it to wipe Sung-kyung’s penis clean. Then he rubbed the remaining semen off his own hands. The pinkish pajamas were now smeared with semen.“Quickly wash up and change in the bathroom, then go to sleep. You can’t miss your sleep time.”“…Yes.”Chungrim wanted to join him, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop at just helping him wash. He had kept him up late the previous night, and Sung-kyung seemed to struggle a bit in the morning. Swallowing the heated urge, Chungrim gently tapped Sung-kyung’s cheek. Sung-kyung’s eyes, filled with longing, stared back at him.“Don’t just say yes.”He always replied obediently. With a faint smile, Chungrim helped Sung-kyung up. Sung-kyung removed his pants and underwear as instructed and walked naked into the room.Chungrim watched him leave, his gaze lingering. He then reluctantly turned away and put the still-warm pajamas into the laundry basket before heading to the sink. He hesitated before turning on the faucet to wash his semen-stained hands, feeling reluctant to wash it off. After contemplating in front of the mirror, Chungrim finally closed the bathroom door and masturbated twice, thinking about his adopted son, Sung-kyung.When he finished washing up and came out, Sung-kyung was lying face down, buried in the blankets. Chungrim turned him over and pulled the covers up, noticing a notebook sticking out from under the bed.“Moved it again.”Sung-kyung often changed the location of his notebook without Chungrim noticing. It had been under the sunroom shelf, the sofa, the closet in the dressing room, and even Mero’s toy box. The places were random, and he didn’t hide it thoroughly, seemingly just placing it near where he last wrote.Chungrim sat on the floor and opened the notebook. The writing was messier than usual, indicating how quickly Sung-kyung had written it while Chungrim was washing.“Hyung said there’s a way to make him my father. Would it be good if he became my father? Could we stay together? If my father had as much money as him, would we never have met? I wouldn’t have lived in the Red Mansion, wouldn’t have gotten sick, and wouldn’t have been named Sung-kyung. But that wouldn’t work no matter how much I think about it.”“Hmm.”Sung-kyung had told him that his name came from a book his parents read during prenatal care. Sung-kyung had laughed bitterly, calling it a careless name, but Chungrim disagreed. Knowing how a name was chosen showed a certain amount of affection.Unlike himself, who didn’t know his birth mother or why he was given his name, Sung-kyung had experienced a loving relationship. Chungrim thought this made his life better than his own, having never had a birthday party with even melted chocolate cookies, always caught between his twin brothers.“Hey.”Chungrim closed the notebook and placed it back, then rested his elbows on the bed. He tapped Sung-kyung’s slightly parted red lips.“Call me dad.”There was no response. Sung-kyung was asleep and couldn’t answer. Despite this, Chungrim laughed softly to himself, touching his lips.During the demolition of the Red Mansion, Chungrim had taken some of Sung-kyung’s parents’ clothes from room 422. When he gave them to Sung-kyung, he had neatly folded them and hidden them in the dressing room, making Chungrim feel strangely sentimental. If he became Sung-kyung’s father, would he never be sad again? This absurd thought crossed his mind.“Ugh.”Sung-kyung, frowning and turning in his sleep, quieted down again. Chungrim didn’t stop playing with him until he almost woke up. It was quite fun teasing him.Chungrim grabbed his phone from where it lay on the bed and took several photos of the sleeping Sung-kyung. The open lips and long eyelashes.Lately, he found joy in taking photos. His album, which previously only had a few pictures of Mero, now had thousands. The phone’s background was a photo of Mero and Sung-kyung sitting in the sunroom. Anyone seeing it might think he was their father. Chungrim chuckled.Watching the sleeping Sung-kyung for a while, Chungrim finally got up as dawn broke. He removed the blanket and lay close beside him. He watched him breathe evenly for a long time before falling asleep himself. This was a sense of peace that couldn’t be bought with money.＊＊＊It wasn’t a hospital day, yet Chungrim moved busily. Sung-kyung just sat there, receiving his care. He let him tidy his hair and dress him as he was given clothes. Chungrim also put the ID card that Sung-kyung fiddled with every night into his jacket pocket. Soon, they were both putting on their shoes in the hallway. Sung-kyung didn’t forget to tell the cat at the door, “I’ll be back soon.” Mero meowed in reply, as if telling him to take care.They got into the car together. As usual, Chungrim’s long fingers wrapped around Sung-kyung’s left wrist whenever they stopped at a red light. The wound had healed, and the scar was barely noticeable under the watch. Chungrim’s thumb pressed into the scar, causing a tingling sensation, though it didn’t hurt.“Try it.”Sung-kyung bent and straightened his fingers, which still couldn’t form a tight fist. But it was better than before, and Chungrim seemed satisfied.They drove away from the house, arriving at a large building. Chungrim unbuckled his seatbelt first. Sung-kyung hesitated, glancing nervously. Whether they were going to a hospital or for a meal, Chungrim usually told him their exact destination. Today, however, he only mentioned “an errand.” He wasn’t sure if he should get out of the car.He remembered when Chungrim had taken him along for work and told him to wait in the car. Avoiding the scorching sun in the cool car, he wondered if he should do the same today.Just before Chungrim closed the driver’s door, it swung open again. Leaning in, Chungrim’s face appeared.“What are you doing?”“…Should I get out too?”Laughing with his head down, Chungrim’s broad shoulders shook visibly. Sung-kyung watched his swaying coat hem blankly.“Do you think I brought you here to work?”“Get out.”“Yes.”Sung-kyung quickly unbuckled his seatbelt. His chubby cheeks bulged over the scarf.It was still cold outside, but it was very warm inside. Sung-kyung wanted to take off his scarf, but Chungrim just laughed at his flushed face. Sung-kyung had to press his hot cheeks with the back of his hand every now and then.“If there’s anything you want to buy, get it all.”“Something I want to buy?”The shops lined up on both sides and the displayed clothes were very luxurious. Sung-kyung glanced around hesitantly. He didn’t need more clothes or shoes because Chungrim always brought him new ones. The only things he might need were notebooks or colored pencils, and he still had a box of unopened ones. For Sung-kyung, who didn’t go out and didn’t have many desires, being told to shop to his heart’s content was quite awkward.“Yeah. Dad will buy it all for you.”Chungrim laughed as he said that. Wasn’t that conversation over? He didn’t know what was so funny, but he liked seeing the corners of Chungrim’s mouth curl up gently.“If you see something you like, buy it.”“But why all of a sudden?”“Hmm.”There wasn’t a particular reason. It was cute how Sung-kyung would secretly look at his ID card every night. His birthday was coming up soon, so Chungrim wanted to give him various things in advance. Sung-kyung probably never had a proper birthday present. Of course, even after his birthday, Chungrim planned to make every day special.“I’m trying to woo you. If you stay with me, you can do this every day.”Chungrim sometimes saw his twin brother in himself. When he found himself fussing over Sung-kyung’s small injuries or eagerly spending money, he realized that blood couldn’t be hidden. Raising Sung-kyung made him understand a bit why his brothers splurged so much. If he were still running the Red Mansion, he might have spent all the monthly rent on Sung-kyung.“I’d stay with you even without all this.”Sung-kyung answered, tugging on the scarf wrapped around his mouth with his fingers. Chungrim, watching his cheeks move as he spoke, leaned in. He stopped just before their lips touched and reached out to Sung-kyung. Sung-kyung swallowed dryly as Chungrim slowly untangled the scarf wrapped around his neck.“That’s right. You’re more interested in me than in money, huh?”Chungrim remembered Sung-kyung’s stubborn back, even when Kwon Kyurim tried to sway him with money. The determined back of his head that he watched on the small CCTV screen. Sung-kyung probably didn’t remember.Chungrim took off Sung-kyung’s soft scarf and draped it over his own arm.“Still, pick something. I need to woo you.”He had to keep giving Sung-kyung reasons not to leave him. Whether it was money, attention, affection, or stability. Or even Mero, whom Sung-kyung adored.“…….”Sung-kyung hesitated, looking troubled, and then started walking. Chungrim followed a couple of steps behind him. Sung-kyung glanced at the expensive, high-quality clothes but didn’t linger on anything for long. It was the same with shoes and bags.Still, as they walked around the shops, Sung-kyung seemed to relax a bit and even moved to another floor using the escalator. He finally stopped at a place filled with pet supplies. Chungrim thought he would just look around and leave quickly, but Sung-kyung stayed for quite a while. His eyes, which couldn’t settle on the luxurious items in other stores, were fixated on the colorful packaging here.“Can I buy this?”Sung-kyung turned around and held out a pocket he had been fiddling with. Chungrim, arms crossed, only glanced down.“Are you a cat?”“No, it’s for Mero.”Feeling wronged by the misunderstanding, Sung-kyung looked up with wide eyes. His cheeks were still flushed, round with warmth. Chungrim licked his lower lip, staring intently at Sung-kyung. Whenever he saw the red tint on Sung-kyung’s unusually pale skin, it always aroused a sadistic desire in him. Whether it was his eyes, cheeks, fingertips, or even a hole. Chungrim gripped the scarf tightly, suppressing his urges.“Sure.”After being told to buy what he wanted, Sung-kyung picked out snacks and toys for Mero. He chose so many that an employee had to bring over a basket. Chungrim laughed loudly every time an item was placed in the basket.“Hey, come here.”Chungrim, who had been watching Sung-kyung compare stuffed toys at the end of a fishing pole, tapped his cheek. When he took the lead, he could hear Sung-kyung quickly putting the toy down and following behind. Feeling a tickle in his chest, Chungrim took a deep breath. After quickly pulling Sung-kyung to one side of the store, he set him in a corner and leaned down. He bit Sung-kyung’s flushed cheek hard.“Ah!”Sung-kyung let out a small cry. But Chungrim only licked his cheek and pulled away. He had to do something like this. He wanted to kiss him, but they were in a place where people came and went, so he couldn’t. He had to stop here.“What if you make a noise? Even if it hurts, you should endure it.”“…….”“You like the pain, don’t you?”Sung-kyung didn’t respond, instead rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand. When he heard footsteps approaching, Chungrim turned away first. Left alone, Sung-kyung kept touching his hot cheek and then followed him. He glanced at the mirror next to the shelf. On his reddened cheek, there were faint teeth marks and traces of saliva.“……It’ll disappear soon.”Such small marks faded too quickly. If it were a bruise or if there was blood, it would last longer. Feeling regretful, he kept touching his cheek and couldn’t continue shopping.In the end, everything Sung-kyung chose was for Mero. Frustrated, Chungrim took the lead, going around the upper-floor stores and picking out clothes that suited Sung-kyung. While Chungrim chose and contemplated his clothes, Sung-kyung just stood quietly behind him. Actually, he was busy pressing the faint teeth marks on his cheek with his fingertips.In a short time, the number of shopping bags increased significantly. After finishing their meal, Chungrim said they would shop more, but Sung-kyung clung to his arm, saying he wanted to go home. He recalled seeing the price tags with lots of zeros earlier. That amount was probably similar to the store’s annual revenue. He didn’t need so many clothes since he rarely went out, and it felt like a luxury. Fortunately, Chungrim nodded in agreement.