Speak of The Devil

“Actually, I don’t have much of an appetite.”I tilted my head, wondering why he was asking now after already opening the lunch boxes without asking my opinion. Suddenly, Jung Yiyeon closed the lids of the lunch boxes and moved them to the floor at three times the speed he had opened them.I didn’t even have time to ask what he was doing. He cleared the bed and then climbed onto the empty space, saying,“You’re incredibly sexy right now.”“…What?”“Yeah, you look like a merman prince.”I couldn’t understand his sudden and random comment.I mean, what was it about? Was it because I couldn’t sit up straight due to my aching back and was leaning to the side, supporting myself with one arm on the bed? Did the way my legs were slightly overlapped under the blanket remind him of a typical merman pose?“Ah…”Jung Yiyeon kissed me and gently pushed my body back. I fell back and ended up underneath him.I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet! There wasn’t time to say anything or resist as his tongue invaded my mouth, tangling with mine. As I stiffened, Jung Yiyeon pushed the blanket away and pressed his naked body against mine. The sensation of his jeans against my bare skin was unfamiliar and gave me goosebumps.“Sir…”Jung Yiyeon quickly discarded his pants and underwear, rubbing his erection against my thigh and kissing me wildly, making me dizzy. Every place his hands touched felt like it was on fire, and the sensation of his bare skin against mine, mixed with our shared body heat, was simply intoxicating.With his tongue filling my mouth, I lost the will to resist. As my tongue entwined with his, the rising heat and pleasure made me feel like I was going to suffocate. In that moment, I couldn’t even feel the discomfort in my back. My legs naturally wrapped around his waist. I was overwhelmed by Jung Yiyeon’s sweet kisses and caresses, making it impossible to think clearly.So, I didn’t hear the door open and close again.I didn’t realize someone had entered the house.“…Uh.”I only became aware when a voice that wasn’t mine or Jung Yiyeon’s was heard nearby.Startled, Jung Yiyeon and I both turned our heads toward the sound. My vision, which had been blurred with heat, suddenly cleared. My eyes widened in shock.My room was the living room. When you opened the front door, you could see the living room. A few steps in, and the bed was visible. On it were Jung Yiyeon and me, naked and entwined. And…My brother, Eon, who had said he wouldn’t be coming home, was standing there after just two days.“…”“…”Jung Yiyeon, my brother, and I were all frozen in that moment.“I just came to grab something, briefly.”It was my brother who broke the silence. He walked to his room at his usual pace, neither fast nor slow.I still couldn’t grasp the situation. Jung Yiyeon suddenly saying I was sexy and pouncing on me, the heated kisses that melted my bones, the sweet sensations from our entwined naked bodies.And Lee Won witnessing it all…“Ahhh!”I screamed and pushed the petrified Jung Yiyeon off me, jumping to my feet.I couldn’t see my clothes anywhere, so I grabbed the jeans lying on the floor and put them on. Even while dressing, I headed toward my brother’s room. There was no time for underwear.The sudden movement made my body creak, but I didn’t feel the physical pain. Lee Won saw us. I was so shocked I couldn’t think of anything else.Wait, Hyung, wait. I mean, this is…“Hyung!”Just as I was about to open my brother’s door, he came out with a bag already in his hand. I was in a complete panic, following him.My mind was in chaos. I didn’t know what to do to fix this situation. But I had to explain somehow. Shit, but how could I explain this?I was a madman for bringing a man into the house. It was my fault my brother saw this. My mistake.“Hyung, I’m not gay.”The words tumbled out in desperation. Was my brother angry? Was he so shocked he couldn’t find words and was leaving?I suddenly remembered how he had beaten up the jerk who had harassed me. Maybe my brother was homophobic. If that hatred turned into anger, he might come back to beat me up, or worse, Jung Yiyeon.But those were secondary concerns. The important thing was that Lee Won was shocked.My only family. The brother who annoyingly tried to act like a guardian but had done so much for me. And he saw. He saw Jung Yiyeon and me in a way that couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than two men wrestling naked.Ignoring me, Lee Won put on his shoes at the front door. I couldn’t say anything but “wait.” I was too stunned. In a panic, I couldn’t even ask him to listen to me properly.Lee Won looked at me as he finished putting on his shoes. I was shifting from foot to foot anxiously. I needed to say something, but no words came to mind.I had to explain this well. Even if my brother didn’t have time to listen, I had to tell him it was a misunderstanding. But how could I explain this? It was too obvious to be misunderstood.I couldn’t think of anything. As my vision darkened with frustration, Lee Won spoke.“Is that the guy you like? The one who’s been giving you trouble lately?”“…”Lee Won’s remark was enough to throw me into a second panic. It was like dropping a bomb.Even though the conversation was happening at the entrance, Lee Won’s voice wasn’t quiet. It carried clearly through the living room and wasn’t far from the bed. Jung Yiyeon could definitely hear it.In that moment, I knew my face must have gone pale without needing to look in a mirror. My brother knew I slept with a man, and Jung Yiyeon might have just learned that I liked him. Two unexpected bombs dropped one after the other left me speechless. It felt like all the blood was draining from my body.Regardless, my brother continued speaking.“Take care. Make sure to ventilate well.”…That was definitely a reaction that wasn’t of someone shocked or angry. It was just like his usual self. Completely indifferent.As he opened the front door to leave, Lee Won suddenly turned back and added one more thing.“Oh, and make sure to use condoms.”“…”With that, Lee Won left without any hesitation. The door closed with a click, and I heard the sound of the door lock engaging.So, then…It was me who ended up frozen in shock by Lee Won’s overly nonchalant reaction.“…Secretary Lee.”I only came to my senses when I heard Jung Yiyeon’s voice. My mental state had shattered from the two consecutive bombshells, leaving me as immobile as a stone statue. My brother found out I had sex with a man. And Jung Yiyeon might have learned about my feelings for him…“Hey, Secretary Lee…”Jung Yiyeon’s voice sounded again, but it wasn’t his usual tone. I rushed over to him, startled. But what really shocked me was what I saw next.Jung Yiyeon was sitting on the bed, covering his nose and mouth with his hand. Blood was dripping from the hand covering the lower half of his handsome face.“What happened?”I hurriedly grabbed some tissues from the table, pushed his hand away, and pressed the tissues against his bleeding nose while scolding him. I had no idea why he was suddenly having a nosebleed.But the boss glared at me with a grimace, as if blaming me for the nosebleed…“You smacked me with your palm.”“Me? I did?”I was utterly confused. When I saw my brother, I had been so shocked that I pushed Jung Yiyeon aside with my hand, and it must have hit his face. My palm did feel a bit tingly, almost as if confirming that I had indeed hit him.So it really was my fault. I couldn’t control my expression and ended up looking like I was about to cry.“I-I’m so sorry, sir. I was just so startled—are you in much pain?”What was I to do? I had hit his handsome face, not just anyone’s, and caused a nosebleed. Even though he had annoyed me sometimes, I had never wanted to hit him. Now I felt like a criminal.I wiped the blood off his face and examined his nose. Luckily, it didn’t seem like his nose was broken. There were no visible bruises or swelling for now. After holding the tissues there for a bit, the bleeding stopped.I couldn’t meet his eyes out of guilt and awkwardness. And I was also worried that he might have heard my brother’s words. Thinking about Lee Won made me feel like all the blood in my body was draining away.“…It’s fine. Go wash up.”While Jung Yiyeon went to the bathroom, I searched for the first aid kit. Thanks to my brother frequently getting hurt, we had a well-stocked first aid kit at home. When Jung Yiyeon came out of the bathroom, his nosebleed had stopped completely, but the bridge of his nose seemed slightly red.“Should I apply some ointment? What if it bruises? I’m really sorry.”“I think it’ll be fine.”I watched him nervously, feeling extremely guilty. If his handsome face bruised, it wouldn’t just be a personal issue; it could cause him embarrassment in his professional life as a boss.In the end, I carefully applied some bruise ointment to his nose. I wondered if I should try some home remedies like applying raw meat or rubbing a boiled egg on it.Meanwhile, my mind was in utter chaos. I was still in a state of panic. My brother. What about my brother? He left so calmly—should I just let him go? Should I call him and explain? But what would I even say?No matter how cool Lee Won was, seeing his brother with another man…his reaction seemed too composed. And all he said was to ventilate the place and use condoms?? And asking if the guy I liked was…this guy. What if Jung Yiyeon heard that?While I was briefly focused on applying the ointment, my mind was overwhelmed with thoughts. My consciousness drifted in a sea of confusion.“By the way, Secretary Lee.”“Yes?”Jung Yiyeon’s sudden call made me jump. ‘By the way’ was a transition phrase used to change the topic. Was he going to ask about my brother’s last comment?It only took a moment for him to continue, but my heart was pounding wildly. My heart beat so loudly I thought it might burst out of my chest.And then, with a serious expression, Jung Yiyeon said,“Your zipper is down.”My zipper was down.I didn’t immediately understand his words.“…What zipper?”“Your fly.”The meaning was clear, and my head automatically tilted downward. I saw that my zipper wasn’t fully up, exposing a bit of my bare skin.“…Agh!”I was so shocked that I screamed out loud and quickly zipped up my pants. I had completely forgotten that in my panic when Lee Won suddenly showed up, I had put on Jung Yiyeon’s pants without even wearing underwear.While it was one thing that Jung Yiyeon and I had seen everything of each other, damn it, the real problem was that I had been in this state all this time. In front of my brother, no less. And in the middle of having physical intimacy with Jung Yiyeon, when I was half-excited—could it be? No way.My vision spun. I wanted to faint right there. I wanted to bury my face in a dish of water and die. What kind of sight had I shown my brother today? This couldn’t even be wrapped up as a black history.“…It’s okay. He probably saw and was seen a lot when we were kids. He’s your brother; he’ll understand…”Was that supposed to be comforting? It wasn’t comforting at all, and even Jung Yiyeon’s expression and tone lacked any conviction. He, too, seemed at a loss for words after being caught having sex with someone’s brother.“And well, I, a complete stranger, have seen everything now, so…”True. This was likely a first for Jung Yiyeon as well.That’s when I realized how insane I had been. Even if my brother had said he wouldn’t be home for a while, I shouldn’t have brought a man into the house I shared with him. I had been so consumed by my feelings for Jung Yiyeon that I had broken a taboo. A moment of carelessness led to this disastrous result.“…I wonder what your brother thought when he saw a man hugging and arousing his sibling.”“You don’t need to put yourself in his shoes…?!”Goddamn it, if you’re going to comfort me, just do it properly! When Jung Yiyeon said that, I imagined the situation from my brother’s perspective, and a chill ran down my spine. Could there be a more wretched scenario? And now Lee Won had experienced it. My brother had experienced it!“Hah. By the way, how did you find out where I live? I never act like this at home…!”“I looked at the employee directory.”Wow, a straightforward answer can be infuriating. I was speechless, and Jung Yiyeon continued talking.“You attacked me, saying you were relieved your brother wouldn’t be home for a few days. I was just planning to bring you some porridge…”“You didn’t even ask if you could come in; you just barged in. I know you came because you wanted to.”“Yeah, but when Secretary Lee looks at me like that, I just get excited.”“…”Momentarily forgetting the roles of boss and secretary, my lips, which had been angrily questioning him, stuck together like they’d been glued. Instead, my gaze dropped to his lower half. Because I had taken his pants, he was wearing my sweatpants from the morning. The front of those gray pants looked a bit bulged—was that my imagination?“…Really, in this situation…”“I also think it’s inappropriate.”Jung Yiyeon replied with a slight smile, as if trying to lighten the mood. Despite his attempt at a joke, his crotch genuinely seemed heavy.From the look of things, it seemed unlikely that Jung Yiyeon had heard what my brother said. So, putting that aside for now, the problem was that my brother had seen me having sex with a man. Although, considering how my brother acted when he left, maybe that wasn’t such a big issue. But I couldn’t shake my troubled feelings.Ah. I wished he would just hold me tightly. But Jung Yiyeon wasn’t the type to hug and comfort me. I couldn’t expect or hope for him to lift my spirits.Still, couldn’t even casual sex partners give each other a comforting hug? Should I just ask him to hold me because I’m feeling so distressed?Oh… but what if he really did hear what my brother said earlier?“…You should go now.”In the end, I opted to ask him to leave. I needed time to pull myself together to deal with both my brother and Jung Yiyeon. Of course, I liked Jung Yiyeon and wanted to be with him, but right now, I needed some time alone.“In those?”“Oh.”Only then did I realize I was still wearing his pants and stood up to take them off and hand them over.But as I unbuckled the pants, I remembered I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Jung Yiyeon’s eyes were on me. Feeling like a stripper in broad daylight, I froze.“…Secretary Lee.”Jung Yiyeon called out to me, hesitating.“Um, actually, what happened with your brother isn’t something we can solve right away, is it?”“…That’s true.”“Well then…”Jung Yiyeon hesitated, which was unusual for him.“Shall we just continue?”He said something like that.Father, Mother in heaven, my brother who found out I’m having sex with a man, what should I do with this person? How can he be so true to his instincts? Surely, he wasn’t suggesting that we continue to help me forget reality for a while…As I stood there, stupefied and calling out to my whole family, I suddenly remembered the second problem I had momentarily forgotten. I felt a surge of anxiety and fear as I considered confirming it. My gaze on Jung Yiyeon must have been trembling noticeably.“…Boss.”“Hmm?”“…Did you hear what my brother said before he left?”My voice might have trembled a bit as I asked that question.Jung Yiyeon was silent for a moment. I, too, was speechless, waiting for his answer with my tongue frozen.A brief silence. Yet, the tension that gripped my entire body made it feel like an eternity. I wanted to avoid his gaze, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him, hoping in vain to read his thoughts.“Your brother…”Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart pounded violently, almost deafeningly, as Jung Yiyeon’s soft voice reached my ears.“What did he say? I was too out of it after getting hit by you to hear anything.”