* * *
“Please, this way.”
Sejin, as usual, glanced at Taehyun with an expressionless face before heading toward the entrance.
Taehyun, unable to read his thoughts from that clean-cut face, felt awkward as he stepped inside.
After removing his shoes in what felt like someone else’s spacious living room, he entered the main hall, where a two-story high ceiling revealed a grand living room.
“Wow… this place is amazing.”
Before he could even feel a hint of inferiority, admiration slipped out.
This was what it was like to live in a real chairman’s house.
The interior looked like something straight out of a movie set for a chaebol family.
Taehyun’s surprise quickly shifted when he noticed the painting on the wall.
Despite not having an artistic eye, the style seemed strangely familiar.
While he stared at the painting, Sejin broke the silence.
“It’s a Philip Kellyan piece. My grandfather is into art collecting.”
“Ah.”
It finally dawned on Taehyun where he had seen it before.
Kellyan was a modern art legend, and one of his pieces had been consistently featured in Taehyun’s art textbooks, back in the days when he’d used art class as a nap time.
This painting, worth hundreds of millions, hung casually in someone’s home—it was like a different world.
Not that it mattered; Sejin would probably say in that same soulless voice, “It’s not mine anyway.”
Just four years ago, Taehyun had thought they might have grown up in somewhat similar environments, but that felt foolish now.
“The painting suits the house.”
Feeling it would be awkward to just nod, Taehyun blurted out the first thing that came to mind, though Sejin didn’t seem to care.
Following Sejin to the couch in the somewhat uncomfortable silence, Sejin gestured towards the right side of the sofa.
“Have a seat.”
“Okay.”
Taehyun obediently sat down as instructed, and silence fell again.
‘You invite someone into your house, the least you could do is talk a little,’ Taehyun thought, sweating nervously.
Normally, he wasn’t the type to get flustered or worry about how others perceived him, but Sejin wasn’t just anyone.
Taehyun felt like he was walking on eggshells.
But they couldn’t just sit there forever.
Taking a deep breath, Taehyun finally spoke up.
“About what we discussed last time…”
“Yes.”
Sejin’s dry, curt response made Taehyun’s heart pound with guilt, yet at the same time, he felt relieved.
If Sejin was involved in this dangerous and secretive scandal, Taehyun felt a little more certain nothing catastrophic would happen.
“When do you think we should start? I’d like to have things settled before heading into the athletes’ village, just to be sure we’re on the right track.”
Sejin quietly stared at Taehyun for a moment after his hesitant words.
Damn.
When they were at the hotel, Taehyun had made it clear how uncomfortable he felt about ‘doing that’ with him.
Now, bringing it up again made Taehyun’s face burn with embarrassment.
But he had no choice.
Taehyun was grasping at straws at this point, willing to try anything—as long as it wasn’t something the IOC would consider cheating. A
fter a brief pause, Sejin finally spoke.
“Whatever works best for you, hyung.”
That answer made Taehyun even more uncomfortable.
He wished Sejin would just be straightforward—tell him what he wanted and how to proceed.
But, true to his nature, Sejin never gave clear answers.
He hadn’t in the past, and it seemed he wouldn’t now. Taehyun swallowed his frustration.
“First, we need to check… the pheromone levels, see how much they drop and how long they stay down. That way, we can adjust things in line with the competition schedule…”
In the end, they had to test it physically.
With less than a month before the Olympic training camp, Taehyun needed to confirm a consistent pattern so that there would be no issues when they entered the athletes’ village.
Though Taehyun finally got to the point, Sejin’s face remained just as indifferent.
“Then let’s do that.”
‘Do what exactly? I haven’t even suggested a time or anything,’ Taehyun thought, frustrated, trying to ignore the buzzing in his head as he continued.
“So, when’s a good time? We should probably start once, so we can figure everything else out afterward.”
There was a process they had to follow to confirm just how far the pheromone levels would drop and how long they would last.
To understand that, they’d need to go through with it.
Taehyun was too embarrassed to outright ask “When do you want to do it?” so he vaguely beat around the bush.
But Sejin, as calm as ever, gave him a direct answer.
“Right now is fine.”
‘Why the hell do you talk about having sex like it’s deciding what to have for lunch?’ Taehyun almost spit out nothing, completely caught off guard.
“No, that’s not… what I had in mind.”
It was already late anyway.
Sure, sex made more sense at night than in the middle of the day, but Taehyun wasn’t ready for that yet.
Besides, he hadn’t brought condoms or lube.
Sejin probably didn’t keep that kind of stuff around at home either, considering he lived with his parents.
As Taehyun trailed off, showing his reluctance, Sejin calmly delivered a line that hit a nerve.
“Are you scared to do it with me?”
‘What the hell is he talking about?’
The moment those ridiculous words left Sejin’s lips, Taehyun frowned.
“What?”
Taehyun, raising his voice unconsciously, demanded an explanation.
Sejin, still composed, responded.
“You’ve been avoiding it since last time.”
It wasn’t because he was scared of Sejin; it was because being intimate with him felt uncomfortable.
‘How could this guy, who nosebleed, say something like that?’ Taehyun thought, incredulous.
“It’s just that you…”
“Are you worried about me? You don’t have to.”
“…”
‘The nerve of this kid,’ Taehyun thought, unconsciously clucking his tongue in annoyance.
‘Do you really think I’m afraid of you? I’m worried that you’ll get hurt from this.’
Taehyun wasn’t worried about himself.
He’d already messed up relationships before, and though it was annoying, painful, and left him with scars, Sejin was different.
He was just a kid who had done nothing but sports his whole life—someone Taehyun felt guilty for even thinking about using.
And now Sejin was saying, “Are you scared?” Taehyun let out a bitter laugh.
“Well, should we just do it now, since we’re here? Do you even have condoms?”
As soon as Taehyun snapped, Sejin, like he had set a trap, calmly replied.
“Sure. I bought some just in case.”
“What? Oh… uh…”
‘Damn it.’
Taehyun immediately regretted what he had said.
‘I’m not ready for this.’
But it was too late to back out now.
If he suddenly changed his mind, it would be like admitting he really was scared of Sejin.
“My mom’s still on a business trip, so she won’t be back until next month.”
Since it was the beginning of the month, it meant he would be using this spacious house alone for quite a while until next month.
Did that imply he should keep doing these things at his own place if they planned to continue?
Taehyun wondered if he was overthinking it, or if Sejin was intentionally dropping hints.
Then he reconsidered, wondering if Sejin was the type to be that meticulous.
The Sejin he remembered was sharp and prickly, a guy who stood his ground against the world with a figurative blade in hand, always on edge.
Despite his calm, ice-princess-like exterior, there was a fragility to him, as though he could shatter at any moment.
Sejin now seemed somewhat similar yet slightly different from back then.
Maybe the ice had solidified a bit more?
It had been four years, and naturally, people change.
But Taehyun still couldn’t figure out how much of Sejin had remained the same and how much had changed, leaving him confused.
Was it because he still thought of him as an 18-year-old?
Before he could reach a conclusion, Sejin broke the surface again with a ripple.
“So, are we doing it today?”
Taehyun glanced up at Sejin, studying his face.
His expression was as unreadable as ever, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
* * *
Thanks