Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 77

There was a reason for Sejin’s anger. Cheon Sejoo was not the type to enjoy luxury. This was a fact one could learn within a week of living with him. For him to visit such an expensive hotel, there must have been a clear purpose. Perhaps it was with a past lover or sex partner. They would have definitely had sex in the hotel room. How many times had he frequented hotels to accept such polite service so naturally? Sejin felt so heartbroken he thought he would die.

“If you need anything at all, please contact us at the number below. We hope you have a comfortable stay.”

The manager, who had guided them to the junior suite, handed his business card to Cheon Sejoo and left. Placing the business card on the table by the room entrance, Cheon Sejoo pushed Sejin’s back, guiding him further inside.

The hotel room, which he was seeing for the first time in his life, was incredibly clean and luxurious. Beyond the large window, the Han River and the entire city of Seoul were visible, and every piece of furniture looked like a work of art. Sejin, feeling a little intimidated, approached the window. As he looked out glumly, Cheon Sejoo came closer.

“Sejin.” 

“Yeah.”

Cheon Sejoo’s chiseled jawline, like a painting, rested on Sejin’s shoulder. Cheon Sejoo hugged Sejin from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist. He slightly turned his face resting on Sejin’s shoulder, looked up into Sejin’s eyes, and asked softly,

“Why are you upset?” 

“…”

He had never imagined Cheon Sejoo would be so clumsy when dealing with a lover. However, Cheon Sejoo’s behavior had changed 180 degrees since they visited Cheon Hyein’s columbarium; it was so gentle and skilled that one could create a “Textbook for Ideal Lover Behavior,” and Sejin was infuriated by it. He couldn’t help but feel jealous at the thought that Cheon Sejoo had been just as affectionate with those he had met before him.

Even this gentle approach, asking softly why he was upset, was one of the things that infuriated Sejin. Because if Cheon Sejoo were upset, Sejin wouldn’t be able to act so skillfully. He would just clumsily ask, “What happened?” or something similar.

Therefore, he couldn’t bring himself to say it was due to jealousy. He was ashamed and embarrassed by his inability to act like an adult. So, he just endured it. “I’m only twenty, after all.” He resolved, shaking his head.

“It’s just… why did we suddenly come here?” “Because you’ve been stuck at home, and I thought you might be feeling stifled.”

That was true. After Kim Hyunkyung’s funeral until mid-February, Sejin had been staying only at home, and his only outings were going to the supermarket for groceries, visiting the memorial park with the memorial tree, and the columbarium. Realizing that, despite his heart being heavy with jealousy, a corner of his mind felt light, as if a weight had been lifted.

Sejin, once again grateful for Cheon Sejoo’s thoughtfulness towards him, turned his body. With his back to the window, he lowered his gaze, and Cheon Sejoo, standing directly in front of him, met his eyes. As he looked into Cheon Sejoo’s deep black eyes, Cheon Sejoo asked in a gentle voice,

“How do you feel now?” 

“…”

Sejin mumbled, then silently bent down. He pressed his cheek against Cheon Sejoo’s shoulder and buried his lips in his neck. Cheon Sejoo naturally reached out his hand. Sejin closed his eyes in comfort as his delicate hair was stroked. He clung tightly to Cheon Sejoo, wanting to hide his embarrassed face, and replied,

“Good, but bad.”

“I get that it’s good, but why is it bad? Did I do something wrong?”

I felt him chuckle softly. Hearing that coaxing voice, my resolve to act like an adult crumbled in less than a minute. Sejin mumbled, his patience worn thin.

“It upsets me how skilled you are…”

“……”

At those words, Cheon Sejoo paused. Feeling that he was flustered, Sejin lifted his head. Seeing his troubled black eyes, a feeling that he would indulge all of his childish whims welled up, and resentful words flowed out easily.

“Why are you so familiar with hotels? How many times have you been here that you’re not even flustered? Who else did you come here with besides me? Did you even come with Kang Doyoon? I don’t want to ask these things, but they keep coming to mind and it annoys me…”

Even as he spat them out, they were childish words. But he couldn’t take them back, and there was still more he wanted to say. Sejin, looking as if he was about to cry, hugged Cheon Sejoo’s waist and asked again.

“How many people have you dated until now? You only like men, right? Did you have a sex partner when you were in college? Or a lover? How much did you like them? Who was your favorite among them? …I’m your first, right?”

There were countless awkward questions to answer. Cheon Sejoo frowned and chuckled in embarrassment, then simply leaned into Sejin’s embrace and whispered into his ear.

“I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t the answer Sejin had wanted. But with that single word of apology, his firmly sulky heart softened.

“…What are you sorry for?”

Sejin pestered him, pressing his lips together so as not to reveal that his mood had already improved. Cheon Sejoo pondered for a moment before answering.

“…Being older?”

At that retort, Sejin scoffed and bit his neck. What was wrong with an age difference? Even if Cheon Sejoo and he were the same age, he would have acted this familiarly. Even if they went out together, only Cheon Sejoo would have been popular. Thinking that, he couldn’t stand his curiosity. Sejin rubbed his face against Cheon Sejoo’s shoulder, like a child whining, and said,

“Then tell me. How many people did you meet before me…?”

Cheon Sejoo laughed silently and stroked Sejin’s head. Just like a child, his obsession with past experiences was quite spirited and cute.

But he couldn’t reveal stories about past lovers or partners as Sejin wished. Kwon Sejin seemed too young to know some truths that were better left unsaid. Even if he were to succumb to Sejin’s words and confess everything, it was obvious that it would only make Sejin feel worse. It could also become an unfavorable past if a fight were to break out later.

Cheon Sejoo smiled leisurely and pushed Sejin away. He gently scratched around the ear of the sulking Sejin, who wasn’t even aware that his cheeks were puffed out, then moved down to his chin and took off the coat he was wearing.

Sejin was dressed in a light sky-blue sweatshirt and black slacks. His beautiful ankles were exposed below the shortened pant legs, as he had recently grown taller again. Cheon Sejoo imagined wanting to lick Sejin’s ankle bones, which smelled of peaches, and gestured towards the entrance with his chin.

“Let’s talk about that later. I’m hungry. I made a reservation at a restaurant, so let’s go eat first.”

“Eat?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you hungry?”

At those words, Sejin absentmindedly stroked his lower belly. Then, seeing him awkwardly nod, Cheon Sejoo realized that he was indeed very hungry. With a smile, Cheon Sejoo lightly kissed his cheek and then got up himself, taking off his outer jacket. Dressed in navy suits and ties for their hotel visit, the two left the room and took the elevator down to the dining area.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

The Chinese restaurant Cheon Sejoo had reserved was on a high floor overlooking the entire city of Seoul. Quiet music flowed through the interior, and the private room they were guided to by a staff member even had beautiful flower arrangements. Sejin, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar atmosphere again, only glanced nervously at Cheon Sejoo. He wasn’t usually the type to be mindful of others, but he felt that if he looked foolish, it would tarnish Cheon Sejoo’s reputation, so he dared not open his mouth. After all, he was now Cheon Sejoo’s one and only lover!

“I already picked out the menu, but if there’s anything else you want to eat, order more.”

“Okay.”

Sejin opened the menu handed to him by Cheon Sejoo and skimmed through it. But dishes like Gyeongjangyuksa and Ohyangjangyuk were mostly incomprehensible even with their descriptions, making it impossible to guess what they were. Eventually, Sejin frowned and read the menu carefully before ordering an additional shrimp fried rice. Cheon Sejoo watched Sejin, casually resting his chin on his hand.

As soon as the order was placed and the staff left, Sejin said to him,

“Can’t you tell me now?”

“Tell you what?”

“How many people did I date before?”

He had never actually said “let’s date” to Cheon Sejoo, but… since they had been kissing and having physical contact ever since they visited the charnel house that day, they must be dating, right? Sejin, who had been thinking for a moment, then frowned with a sudden sense of unease and asked Cheon Sejoo,

“Are you and I really dating?”

“…Then, was I going to sleep with you and then abandon you, hyung?”

“No!”

At his playful question, asked with narrowed eyes, Sejin shrieked. Then, seeing him cover his mouth with both hands in surprise, Cheon Sejoo shrugged his shoulders and laughed. With a laugh that made one’s heart tickle, he reached out and tickled Sejin’s eyebrow with his fingertip, then said,

“Why are you curious about something like that? It seems like there’s nothing good to know.”

He could tell him if he wanted to, but it truly was something better left unknown. Sejin would be his first in everything, so while Cheon Sejoo understood his curiosity, he generally didn’t want to tell him the truth. Because for Kwon Sejin, who always emphasized propriety, it might be a shocking past. However, at Cheon Sejoo’s words, Sejin opened his mouth with a sulky expression.

“Because I’m curious, of course. How many people did you meet? How much did you like them? Did you confess first? No, did you even have anyone you dated? Kang Doyoon was just a sex partner, right? Or did you only have people like that before? I don’t care how many. Ten or twenty, it’s all in the past, so just tell me. I want to know.”

“Ah…”

Cheon Sejoo laughed awkwardly at the barrage of questions. He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips and then looked at Sejin, answering.

“About a hundred… would that really be okay?”

“……”

At the shocking number, Sejin’s expression hardened and his mouth fell open. His pink tongue could be seen twitching inside his agape lips as if it wanted to say something. But in the end, seeing him close his mouth without saying anything, Cheon Sejoo burst into laughter. He laughed out loud, looking at the wall opposite Sejin, then turned back to Sejin, his eyes crinkling, and shook his head.

“Just kidding.”

“You scared me! When you say something, it doesn’t sound like a joke!”

Sejin fumed, his face flushed. His cheeks dyed red, Sejin quickly gulped down the lukewarm jasmine tea in front of him, then even drank the bottled water the staff had left. Then he glared at Cheon Sejoo with a resentful expression.

“Stop teasing me. I’m not a child!”

“When you say that, it makes me want to tease you more.”

“Cheon Sejoo!”

When Sejin pouted and shouted, Cheon Sejoo smiled apologetically, his eyes crinkling. Meanwhile, the staff member knocked and opened the door, entering. Thanks to Cheon Sejoo’s request to prepare all the food at once so Sejin wouldn’t get hungry, the table was soon full of the ordered dishes.

“Enjoy your meal.”

After the staff member bowed and left, Cheon Sejoo handed Sejin chopsticks and gestured towards the table.

“Let’s eat first, then we can talk when we go back up.”

“……”

Sejin eyed him sullenly, as if he didn’t trust him constantly changing the subject, then snorted. As Sejin silently began to eat, Cheon Sejoo also picked up his chopsticks. He ate a few pieces of cream shrimp and about half of his order, while Sejin completely emptied all the dishes on the table.

It was as if he had a black hole in his mouth, eating without a break. While the full Cheon Sejoo watched, sipping tea, Sejin alone ate the amount five hungry men would consume.

“Are you done eating?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it delicious?”

“Yeah.”

Finally, Sejin finished his meal, nodded, and drank water. Cheon Sejoo quietly reached out and touched his stomach. Despite eating an enormous amount, his faintly firm abdomen had no protruding parts. Did he exercise a lot while I was gone? Cheon Sejoo stroked Sejin’s lower belly, which seemed to have strangely developed muscles, and only removed his hand when he noticed Sejin’s cheeks turning red.

“……”

Sejin bit his lips, staring blankly at Cheon Sejoo. His lips, plump from the Sichuan cuisine he had just eaten, were repeatedly pressed between his white teeth, looking strangely sensual. Cheon Sejoo stared intently at Sejin and then stood up. He simply said, “Let’s go,” and exited the room first.

At this moment, Cheon Sejoo’s mind was entirely filled with thoughts of Sejin. Cute Kwon Sejin. Lovable Kwon Sejin. Twenty-year-old Kwon Sejin, who gets a hard-on in a restaurant just from having his stomach touched.

“This is driving me crazy…”

“Huh?”

Sejin pricked up his ears at Cheon Sejoo’s faint murmur. Seeing Sejin turn his head towards him, eyes wide, Cheon Sejoo merely smiled silently.

He had always thought that people who met much younger partners and thought things like ‘it’s nice because they’re inexperienced’ were trash, but now that he was in a similar situation, he couldn’t bring himself to call himself trash.

He hadn’t realized how arousing it would be to see this clumsy, awkward child get excited by his touch. Cheon Sejoo swallowed dryly and clenched his fists to keep himself from pushing him further.

The elevator stopped at their floor, and after a half-beat pause, Cheon Sejoo led Sejin out. To avoid looking hasty, he exhaled languidly and brought Sejin to the room, then pushed him into the bathroom with the excuse that he would make a phone call and Sejin should shower first. Only after he heard the sound of water did he relax and pull a cigarette from his pocket.

He lit it with a Zippo lighter and took a deep drag, finally feeling some composure return. Cheon Sejoo stood by the window and smoked a cigarette, feeling the blood flow to his aching lower abdomen. He pressed the cigarette, which had burned down to the filter, into the ashtray, and as he was about to take off his jacket, the lighter in his hand caught his eye.

It was a gift from Doyoon about two years ago. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but feeling that this, too, might concern Sejin, Cheon Sejoo threw the lighter directly into the trash can. The clattering sound of the Zippo lighter hitting the metal trash can echoed in the room.

While Sejin was showering, Cheon Sejoo requested a basket and ordered a moderately sweet and light wine. Cheon Sejoo had no intention of drinking, but it was in case Sejin got nervous, to help him relax.

Kwon Sejin finally opened the bathroom door and emerged when the wine had cooled down a bit. He must have showered for a long time, as steam poured out as soon as the door opened, like a dumpling steamer. Cheon Sejoo gazed intently at Sejin, who was wearing a bathrobe and couldn’t meet his eyes, looking so awkward that he seemed to want to run away.

His thin, soft black hair was damp. Droplets of water from the tips of his hair swept up and exposed his forehead, dripped onto his ears, and his thin, delicate eyebrows were also wet. Sejin’s fair skin had a subtle reddish tint, like the flesh of a peach, and it was so dewy that it felt as if juice would flow out if touched.

Cheon Sejoo’s eyes raked over his neckline and collarbone. He wanted to immediately uncover and confirm what was beneath the tightly tied bathrobe, but he held back, prioritizing his own shower first.

On the day he had sex with Sejin, he had been so drunk that he barely remembered any clear scenes. All Cheon Sejoo remembered was the feeling of being penetrated, the hot sensation of the organ rummaging inside, and the sweet kisses with Sejin.

The thought of finally seeing all of Kwon Sejin today made his heart pound like a child before his first sexual encounter. Cheon Sejoo scoffed at himself and stood up.

“I’ll be right out.”

“Okay…”

Even that small, shy voice excited Cheon Sejoo. This is driving me crazy. Cheon Sejoo licked his lips and entered the bathroom. He hastily unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, and placed it aside before turning on the hot water.

As he let the water run over his head, a sudden thought occurred to him. Should I prepare his rear beforehand?

It was a very unfamiliar situation for someone who had never used his rear as an entrance his entire life, but he had no intention of making Sejin the bottom now. In male penetrative sex, the bottom bears a lot of the burden, so he couldn’t bring himself to demand that of young Sejin.

According to Sejin’s pronouncements about propriety, Cheon Sejoo’s body in the past was practically that of a slut. Though he hadn’t met more than ten people in total, Sejin was new to everything, so he wanted to at least give Sejin his first experience. He had already taken it, but anyway… yielding his rear without resistance when he was drunk was for a similar reason.

Cheon Sejoo hesitated, then brought his hand behind him. It felt incredibly strange to force his fingers into a place that had never been used as an entrance before. Penetration felt when sober was completely different from what Cheon Sejoo remembered; it was mortifying. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t Sejin’s long, beautiful fingers…

In any case, Cheon Sejoo did his best to loosen his rear. He painstakingly inserted four fingers to widen his rear, and when he felt it was enough, he finished his bath and came out.

“Cheon Sejoo…”

Sejin, whom he expected to be sitting on the sofa, was not there. As Cheon Sejoo loosely tied his bathrobe, he turned around at the sound of the voice and saw Sejin lying on the bed through the open door. Cheon Sejoo smiled quietly and started to approach him, but then realized something strange and stopped in his tracks.

Sejin’s eyes, as he lay on the bed, were drowsy. With eyes heavy as if he would fall asleep any moment, Sejin rested his head on the pillow in a disheveled posture. Seeing him like that, Cheon Sejoo narrowed his eyes and looked around the room. The seal of the wine he had brought to help Sejin relax had been broken. He approached and picked it up; the liquid, which smelled sweet like juice, was about 1/3 empty.

“…Did you drink this?”

He asked in disbelief, and Sejin blinked blankly, nodding his head. “I was nervous…” A thought of how cute he was came first, but no laughter escaped.

He hadn’t expected that a low-alcohol wine, ordered just to help him relax a little, would lead to this result. Sejin wasn’t even that drunk, but he was in this state. Of course, it was ordered for Sejin, but he didn’t know he was such a lightweight. It was an unexpected difficulty. Cheon Sejoo sighed inwardly, poured the remaining wine from Sejin’s glass into his own mouth, and moved his feet.

Should I let him nap and do it when he’s sober? Thinking that, he got onto the bed, and Sejin, who had been lying still, looked up at Cheon Sejoo and giggled. At his harmless smile, Cheon Sejoo let out a chuckle.

“What’s so funny about that?”

He affectionately chided Sejin, then slowly reached out a hand. Sejin’s two legs were neatly placed on the bedding. His disheveled robe, thanks to the tie, somewhat covered his center, but even without doing anything, his erected penis lifted the fabric, clearly exposing the space between Sejin’s legs from below.