Romantic Gangster

#32

“Oh?”

“Did you go wash your hands?”

“How did you know?”

“Your hands are wet.”

“Ah… Something sticky got on my hands. But how did you come right at that moment? I think I was away for about 3 minutes.”

“I know. I came and the door was locked, so I thought the convenience store had gone out of business.”

Ji-woo laughed at Hyun-joon’s words as he opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

“Where are you coming from today? It doesn’t seem like you’re coming from home.”

At Ji-woo’s words, Hyun-joon looked down at his outfit. He had deliberately dressed up a bit to look good, coming from lounging at home, and it seemed Ji-woo had noticed the effort. He wondered if that was a positive thing or not.

“…Just met someone briefly.”

“Who? Someone you like?”

“Suddenly?”

“You just look really handsome today.”

It was worth throwing off comfortable clothes and wearing something a bit uncomfortable but made his legs look longer and emphasized his broad shoulders. Hyun-joon cleared his throat, trying to hide his emerging smile.

“…Well, something like that.”

“Ah, so it is. You met someone you like.”

I did meet them, just now. And I was even told I look handsome. The problem is that the person I like is completely oblivious.

“Ah!”

“What?”

“Hand cream! Wait a moment, I’ll bring it out.”

Hyun-joon smiled slightly as he watched Ji-woo, who was about to enter the counter, slip into the storage room next to the drink shelves. He wondered how he could make this cute, oblivious guy realize his feelings.

If Ji-woo was the type to just go along with whatever he did, he would have been direct. But Ji-woo was someone who could confidently say ‘Nope’ even if Hyun-joon was direct. Knowing this, he had no choice but to approach more cautiously.

While Hyun-joon was lost in thought, Ji-woo came out with hand cream from his bag and entered the counter. Then he opened the door for Hyun-joon to come in too.

Hyun-joon followed the gesture and sat down in the now-familiar narrow space next to Ji-woo.

“Hold out your hand.”

Not knowing how to hold out his hand, Hyun-joon awkwardly extended just his right hand, and something white and slightly cold fell onto his palm.

Although he knew he could just rub it in himself, he waited quietly, wanting to touch Ji-woo one more time. He was determined to wait until Ji-woo applied it directly, as he had said he would.

Ji-woo soon squeezed an appropriate amount of hand cream onto his own palm as well. Then he closed the lid, put it on the counter, and naturally started rubbing his palms together.

The cream, melted by body heat, spread smoothly on his palms. Finding it sexy, Hyun-joon had to tense up. He felt like he might go crazy with all sorts of lewd thoughts if he relaxed even a little.

“…”

The cream that was on his palms now brushed against the back of Ji-woo’s hands. Just as the soft-looking back of his hands became moist, Ji-woo’s hands approached without warning. Hyun-joon inhaled as he felt the body heat enveloping his hand. His lower abdomen tightened, and he felt tension even in his toes trapped in his sneakers.

“How could you not apply it until I actually did it for you?”

“You said you’d apply it for me.”

“Are you a child?”

“Is there a bigger child than you?”

“That’s true.”

It was already driving him crazy just to have Ji-woo’s warm, moisturized hands holding his, but then those hands started spreading the cream on his palm. He could feel the cream melting slickly as Ji-woo’s body heat mixed with the heat of his own hand. The cream spread softly between their palms invaded the back of his hand, his fingers, and the spaces between.

“I knew your hands were big, but feeling them like this, they’re really big… Your fingers are long too.”

His mind and heart were screaming not to touch too much, not to grip and stroke his fingers like that, that he felt like he was going to die, but his mouth wouldn’t open at all. Hyun-joon watched Ji-woo’s white, slender fingers intertwine with his own and tried not to get an erection. But that wasn’t something he could achieve just by trying.

“Your hands are big but pretty. Your nails are pretty too.”

The moment Ji-woo’s hands touched his nails, he couldn’t take it anymore. Hyun-joon abruptly stood up. He could feel Ji-woo’s gaze looking up at him, but he couldn’t look down. If their eyes met, he felt like his half-erection would become fully erect.

“…I need to go for a moment, just 30 minutes.”

“Where are you going?”

“I just remembered something important I need to do. 30 minutes will be enough.”

As he was about to leave the counter, he felt another body heat on his hand again. Reflexively turning around, Hyun-joon’s eyes met exactly with Ji-woo’s, who was holding his hand and looking up with worried eyes. What he had feared was bound to happen.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah… I’m fine. 30 minutes will be enough, wait for me.”

Hyun-joon rushed out of the counter and the convenience store. He thought about going home but feeling he couldn’t make it that far, he entered the shopping complex and urgently looked for a bathroom. Fortunately, the dimly lit bathroom, despite having fluorescent lights on, was empty. After checking that all doors were open, he went into the farthest stall, locked the door, and hurriedly unbuckled his pants.

As he closed his eyes, the feeling of Ji-woo’s hands holding his, the sensation of the cream melting between their palms, and the slippery feeling of it being applied vividly came to mind.

“…Ah, fuck.”

What the hell are you doing outside, fuck. Even as he berated himself, he couldn’t stop. That made it more painful, and more pleasurable.

* * *

What could it be that made him leave so suddenly? He said he’d be back in 30 minutes… It’s not something bad, is it? His expression wasn’t great when he left earlier…. I hope it’s nothing serious.

Ji-woo, worried about Hyun-joon who had suddenly rushed out of the convenience store, quickly stood up at the sound of the door opening, thinking it might be Hyun-joon, but the people entering the store were two young men who looked clearly drunk.

“Welcome.”

Greeting them with a slight feeling of disappointment, Ji-woo watched as one man with a flushed face from drinking wandered around the store, picking up chocolate milk, chocolate, and hangover remedies before coming to the counter. Soon, the other man who had come in with him also approached the counter, swaying while holding two cup ramens.

“Don’t you have sausages? The ones you heat in the microwave.”

“The sausages are on the upper shelf at the back, where the kimbap and lunchboxes are.”

“Upper shelf? Ah, there it is.”

The man who had staggered to the shelf came back with two sausages and burst into laughter as if he had thought of something. Then he held one sausage up to the front of his friend’s pants who was standing at the counter.

“Hey, this looks bigger than your dick.”

“You idiot, f*ck. Mine is bigger, you know?”

“What are you talking about, it’s obviously not.”

“F*ck, what are you saying.”

“Hey, then let’s ask, let’s ask. Excuse me. Does this look bigger or his dick?”

Ji-woo frowned slightly at the situation unfolding as he had worried, having been uncomfortable since the unpleasant behavior began. But the men just kept grinning and urging Ji-woo to answer.

“Ah, can’t tell just by looking? Then you can touch it if you want.”

Seeing no reason to listen anymore, Ji-woo started scanning the items placed on the counter one by one with the barcode scanner. At that moment, he heard the door opening again. When he looked up, this time he saw Hyun-joon’s face. He felt instantly relieved.

“Aren’t you going to ring this up?”

Two sausages were dropped onto the counter. Not wanting to touch what had been pressed against the man’s pants, Ji-woo grabbed the edge of one package and turned it to scan the barcode. The two men started laughing loudly.

“Ah, sh*t. Feels like he touched my d*ck. Ah, I’m so turned on.”

“But did he originally work here? Isn’t it usually an old man at the counter?”

“Guess he works the night shift.”

“I should come often. I’ll be a regular, a regular. So next time I come, you’ll give me a real touch as service…”

Ji-woo’s gaze fell on Hyun-joon standing behind the two men. He was so tall that his head stuck out above the two men.

“Looks like you won’t be able to come again.”

Startled by the sudden voice from behind, the men whirled around. Hyun-joon continued speaking, blatantly looking down on the men.

“You need to be alive for there to be a next time.”

“Who…”

“Let’s not do this here and leave. If you’re leaving, you need to pay. Who’s paying? Hand over the card.”

Hyun-joon, standing between the men and putting his arms around their shoulders as if they were close, commanded. Sensing the situation turning strange, one of the men glanced around nervously and pulled out his card to hand to Ji-woo.

“Do you want a bag?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you want it bagged.”

“Ah… Yes, yes…”

Ji-woo took the card from the trembling hand, added a plastic bag to the total, and rang up the purchase, bagging all the items. The man, still with shaking hands, took the items and card, glancing back at Hyun-joon.

“You should say thank you. Thank you.”

“…Th-thank you.”

“You too.”

“Th…thank you…”

Only after watching the two men bow in turn did Hyun-joon look at Ji-woo. And he grinned as if to say not to worry.