Ways of Parting - Chapter 29

After placating Lim Dohyun, going through rehabilitation therapy, and paying the bills, his afternoon schedule roughly came to an end. Ha Joyoon looked down at the receipt for a moment, put it in his pocket, and turned his gaze to the people sitting in the lounge chairs in front of the reception desk.

He looked around several times, but he couldn’t find Shin Kwonjoo. He had not seen him since he left the office, so it was clear that he had been away for a long time. The assumption that Shin Kwonjoo would be sitting in the lounge chair, waiting for him to come out was actually funnier.

Did he leave? Do I have to call him? However, his concern soon disappeared after he spotted Shin Kwonjoo on a call at the corner of the hospital lobby.

“…”

His expression while on the phone didn’t look good. Ha Joyoon carefully took a step to where Shin Kwonjoo stood, wiping at the cold sweat on his forehead that formed due to his headache.

“Sunbae-nim.”

Tap tap- With a careful tap on his shoulder, the man who was focused on his phone call turned his gaze around. When he saw the person in front of him, his cold eyes relaxed a little. ‘Wait.’ The man said with his eyes and continued with the call. He exchanged information related to an article that seemed to be coming from a journalist.

Ha Joyoon watched him for a while before leaning on the wall for support. The path between wards was in a round tunnel, the walls were a tempered glass, so you could simply look up and see the entire lobby of the first floor. He rubbed his forehead on the glass and hummed quietly.

Oh my love for the first time in my life…

There were hasty footsteps of people walking around the hospital. Following the rhythm of the footsteps, Ha Joyoon blankly thought of the words of caution Lim Dohyun had said to him. ‘Stay healthy… For a long time…’ The murmuring voice was faint as if fading away.

“Are you done?”

“You must have waited for a while.”

Shin Kwonjoo placed a hand around his waist and drew him closer . His body weakly went in the direction he was pulled. His eyes were fierce as if he didn’t like how his flat stomach was.

“There’s a refugee not so far away from me.“

“Ha ha.”

Recently, he had been feeding him until he felt bloated when they went out for outside duty together. Ha Joyoon smiled awkwardly and avoided eye contact. Compared to the past when it was difficult to even face each other properly, they’ve had frequent opportunities to see each other inside and outside of the company since their relationship became a thing. He didn’t realize that him being his ‘partner’ could cause that much change in their relationship.

Ha Joyoon, who was touching the nape of his neck, slightly turned his waist, dropping  the hand that was restraining his body.

Shin Kwonjoo’s gaze, which still remained on his thin body, soon shifted away. He took out a pack of cigarettes out of habit and let out a short “Ah,” before putting it back in his pocket. Three deep lines were engraved over his straight forehead.

“What did the doctor say?”

It didn’t take too long for an answer. Ha Joyoon smiled quietly and carefully hit the marble floor with his toes.

“He said we’d need to wait and see. And that I shouldn’t overwork myself.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

This was information that could be told to and accepted by others, no more or less.

Shin Kwonjoo’s face had an even more stormy look. It seemed like he was about to say something, but he soon closed his lips tightly again and hardened his expression. His irises stopped moving as he seemed immersed in something.

At the cool atmosphere that had appeared in a second, they both turned their eyes away in silence, before a big hand grabbed Joyoon’s wrist.

“Let’s go. You don’t have anything on your schedule for the rest of the day, right?”

“I don’t, but first… I’ll need to tell the editor-in-chief.”

“Alright then.”

The stride across the lobby was so fast that Ha Joyoon, who was caught by the wrist, had to almost run while following after him. “Sunbae-nim.” He wouldn’t turn back even after the calm call. Ha Joyoon’s eyes followed behind his back, and suddenly he realized that he was gradually getting used to Shin Kwonjoo leading him away.

They only had sex. It was weird how he got used to him so easily.

In their fast pace through the parking lot, his unproductive thoughts were put together like blocks. Their first time was difficult, but once became twice, twice became three times, and after that, it became such a natural thing that it felt like their relationship had been that way for a long time.

Contrary to Ha Joyoon’s expectations, Shin Kwonjoo had not pretended like it never happened, but instead proposed their relationship first despite his cold demeanor. They overlapped bodies almost everyday.

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Thunk–

As soon as they got in the car parked in the corner of the parking lot, a large hand wrapped around his neck. Even before he noticed the coldness on the nape of his neck, warm lips had roughly met his own lips.

“Mmh…”

Looking at Shin Kwonjoo, who kissed with his head slightly raised, he soon closed his eyes as well, focusing on the actions. The hot tongue gently rubbed around his mouth. They breathed heavily. It was a habit of Shin Kwonjoo to gently bite his lower lip in the middle of kissing while changing their kiss angle.

The man opened his eyes for a moment and looked at his face softly. Ha Joyoon never really cared about other people’s appearance, but he thought the other was very handsome. After being silent for a while, Shin Kwonjoo slowly stroked the soft skin behind his ears with his thumb.

“Do you want to come over?”

It was his way of asking him if he wanted to go to his officetel. The voice that stated his intentions without hesitation was lower and rougher than usual. It was a voice that only those who had seen the other’s bare skin, his most secret parts, and his naked exposure and actions could hear. Ha Joyoon nodded slowly, looking at the jet black eyes facing him. It didn’t matter.

“…Ah…”

The man behind him stretched out his arm, intertwining his fingers with Ha Joyoons. There is no gap between their tightly held fingers. Shin Kwonjoo caressed along his spine line with his lips, murmuring low curses and thrusting his hips as the body underneath him was also pushed forward with each thrust.

His hole which had already been loosened from the several thrusts and semen took in the thick length without difficulty. His lips opened automatically at the sensation from slowly being thrust into. Ngh! He let out a high moan as if singing. At that time, Shin Kwonjoo smiled, his hands trying to avoid putting pressure on his head.

His fine, pale body was weighed down mercilessly, looking like he was completely hugged from behind.

With his erection about to reach its climax, his penis began to thrust in rapidly. It was with an intensity that made his heart race. During that rush feeling, Ha Joyoon suddenly wished his heart would burst this way and then shatter into pieces. The words, “More, more—” came out of his lips on their own and his partner was thankfully fulfilling his part well. His lips fell open and he let out a weak moan at the sensation of pain in his walls. The opening of his hole already reddened from the rough friction of taking in the penis.

“It… It hurts…”

“Try to endure it. You’re already loose enough.”

Ignoring his petition, the heavy voice rang low through the room. The unusual tone sounded like he had lost his composure. Their overlapping bodies were already covered with sweat due to their love affair that lasted for several hours. The man kissed his sticky skin several times, before biting into his pale shoulder. “Ah!” The pained moan made the other pause, but then he thrusted in completely again. He felt chills from the pleasure run down from his head to his toes.

“Hng!”

Ha Joyoon closed his eyes tightly at the burning hotness he felt. But soon a big hand turned him around, holding his shoulder into the sheets. At the pain from his body being twisted, Ha Joyoon frowned and raised his head. His pale face was already reddened and drenched with sweat.

“Open your eyes. You can’t see properly,” He said with a relaxed smile.

“You’re heavy…”

His arm, which had lost strength, tried to push off the body pressing down on him, but it was no use. Shin Kwonjoo had a predatory smile on his face. He leaned his head down again and bit the other’s small ear, looking satisfied with the red tooth marks he left. He let out a long, hot breath.

“Hey, Ha Joyoon-ssi.”

At the clear voice calling him, Ha Joyoon opened his fevered eyes with difficulty. The cool-looking man, whose hot body made him look small in comparison, came into his sight.

“You need to open your eyes so we can cum.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man began to move his hips mercilessly, thrusting even deeper. His thrusts were without constraint. Ha Joyoon’s body shook uncontrollably as if drawing a painting on the sheets.

“Ngh… Ah, Ah…!”

During his short scream, Shin Kwonju also let out a low groan as they came to a finish together. “Haa…” A voice with a high level of satisfaction rang low. With a mushy feeling came a gush of liquid flowing down from between his legs.

“Huff…”

He slowly pulled out his flaccid penis after he ejaculated. With that reaction, the body that had been helplessly pinned under him, rolled to the side. His entrance and Shin Kwonjoo’s penis and pubic hair were covered in white semen as there was no condom between them. Time passed without them saying anything, only the sound of their heavy breathing heard. After a while, he finally felt the person next to him moving to stand up.

Tap– Tap– The sound of fading footsteps left him with some time alone. His body had still not gotten over the shock of his orgasm and gave in to the intermittent spasms from remnants of pleasure. His entrance where he had been thrusted into several times was tingling with pain, accompanied by a slight feverish feeling. Quietly staring at the ceiling, his hazelnut colored eyes were reflected by the dim ceiling lights similar to a kaleidoscope. It was difficult to take his eyes off the beige light hidden inside the cover of the classic decoration.

It was like a jewel.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Ha Joyoon had a thought. If the jewel was to fall on top of him and take his last breath, even that would be beautiful. As the sound of light breathing became rough, he heard someone walking.

“Drink this.”

Before he realized it, Shin Kwonjoo had gone over to the fridge to take out two bottles of water, before tossing one over to him. The bottle flew curved in the air and landed close to his arm. Ha Joyoon looked at the bottle near him for a bit, before slowly raising his upper body. Sitting absent-mindedly for a while, he slowly began to pick up the clothes that had been on the floor. Shin Kwonjoo’s eyes narrowed as he drank water at the opposite side.

“Are you going to take a shower?”

“Yes…”

The voice that answered showed signs of exhaustion, fatigue heavy on his small face. Step, Step– Shin Kwonjoo swept his messy hair back and approached the bed where Ha Joyoon was sitting. The face of the person looking down at him seemed unreadable, looking apathetic.

“You should get some rest.”

“I need to go home.”

His eyebrows raised high at the succinct answer and now it looked like he was displeased with something. The man, who had been looking down at Ha Joyoon for a long time, soon gulped down the remaining half of his water and swiped a hand over his lips.

“Do you know what time it is? Why not just sleep over?”

The man closed in the space and was sitting right next to Ha Joyoon now. Ha Joyoon hesitated for a bit before shaking his head. “No,” The denying voice was incredibly weak sounding.

“Is it because of what I said?”

“…?”

“About you making pained noises when you sleep.”

“Oh,” The unrestrained sound left his lips. Ha Joyoon shook his head quickly, unable to hide his surprised expression. “Pfft–” Shin Kwonjoo let out a small laugh and lightly threw his empty bottle of water towards the trash can. It landed cleanly into its goal.

“Your thoughts show clearly on your face. You need to choose between hiding it or just not lying in the first place.”

Shin Kwonjoo gave a sharp look. It was a more sensitive reaction than usual. Although puzzled, Ha Joyoon didn’t have to express himself but instead, answered by staring at him.

“…”

“Don’t worry about it if it’s because of what I said. I just woke up early that morning and heard it by chance. If you think of it as a personal weakness then I won’t mention anything, plus as long as it doesn’t bother me, won’t that be the end of it?”

Ha Joyoon’s forehead, which had been deeply furrowed, spread out, seeming to like his words. Looking up at him, Ha Joyoon soon slightly nodded his head. Only then did Shin Kwonjoo’s lips faintly relax. He was easily tired from the one round of sex as his body had not recovered yet.

In the majority of their relationship, Shin Kwonjoo was the type who cared for and pleased him, but that didn’t mean anything. Ha Joyoon felt constant pleasure, but that was it. Because he normally didn’t have much desire for sex, having frequent relationships were burdensome, and he was glad he didn’t have to think about Kang Taejung or taking pictures at that moment. It was a drug-like sweetness, gnawing at his flesh.

“Alright…”

“Wash up and sleep.”

“Okay.”

Ha Joyoon casually looked around, noticing the emptiness he felt since he entered the officetel. The room had a simple interior and it was difficult to even find a small picture. Not even an old camera could be seen. It was strange to think that Shin Kwonjoo was also a journalist like himself.

When they worked together at the headquarters a few years ago, Shin Kwonjoo used to travel around regions to capture the stories of the world through his lens. Along with his award-winning career in various prestigious press photography competitions, many of the moments he captured received both recognition and issue worldwide.

He was one of the major figures mentioned among many people in the field of journalism, that even Ha Joyoon who had no interest in that aspect, had heard Shin Kwonjoo’s name countless times.

“Don’t you take pictures anymore?”

He opened the bottle of water to moisten his dry throat. It seemed to have been refrigerated for quite a long time because it was cool enough to make the sweat all over his body disappear quickly. The other’s movement stopped as he was packing clothes to change.

“It’s been a while since I stopped.”

With his eyes down again, he calmly packed a simple t-shirt, pants, and unopened underwear and handed it to Ha Joyoon. Rubbing the soft cotton with his hands, Ha Joyoon recalled the photos taken by Shin Kwonjoo. The scenes he delivered through the photographs were all intense and sharp, and were the most brutal stories that illuminated the cruelty of reality and the bareness of conscience without filter.

“There was an incident.”

“Incident?”

Before he knew it, Shin Kwonjoo sat beside him and reached out. The sheets shook here and there as the hand patted his brown hair was relaxed.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t be traumatized if an old friend of mine died from a bombing right next to me.”

“Oh…”

“I couldn’t take pictures well after that.”

Suddenly, he remembered a story he had heard in passing before. As soon as he asked that, Shin Kwonjoo’s expression, which was frozen solid, automatically reminded him of that.

‘There was a second bombing while he was saving people from where the first bomb landed. Nothing was left of him.’

‘That’s what dying means, Ha Joyoon. I will live gratefully as long as I’m still alive and fine, with all my limbs intact.’

With no one was able to speak hastily, a lonely silence weighed the air. Even a small consolation could be poisonous. He suddenly saw Shin Kwonjoo’s hand holding the bed sheets. It was a hand that might have accomplished a lot, but on the other hand, had still lost something precious. The anguish didn’t last long.

Without much of an intention, Ha Joyoon instinctively reached out and covered the back of his hand. At the feel of his hand, Shin Kwonjoo slightly raised his dark eyebrows. Ha Joyoon’s pale hand quietly patted the other’s hand as the moonlight came through the window. Shin Kwonjoo looked at him and frowned strangely. A look of bewilderment flashed across his face. After a long while, he eventually snorted.

“Do you pity me? It hurts my pride that someone like you, who has a hobby of self-torture, is trying to pity me.”

The memories of complaining to him flashed out one after the other. It was embarrassing and regrettable, but time had passed and it was irreversible. Concealing the awkwardness with an even more awkward smile, Ha Joyoon shook his head lightly.

“That’s not it. I’m not really in a position to feel bad for anyone.”

“Well, I guess so.”

“…”

Shin Kwonjoo hardened his expression and lightly flicked Ha Joyoon’s forehead with a thick finger. The previously wrinkled forehead straightened out once more due to the impact of the finger.

“It’s not a huge problem. Photography is something one can always start again, and even if I can’t, I have no problem going on the different path I’m heading for.”

He listened to the extremely low voice with his breath held. He wasn’t familiar with the man casually telling stories of extremely personal matters. At that moment, he strangely felt like the cold, solid wall that had been piled up between him and Shin Kwonjoo was partially torn down. You’re strong. The words were like a small murmur in the wind.

“I want to overcome my problems that way too.”

“It’s not impossible. It’s funny to say this, but Ha Joyoon’s world is too small and limited. You might be good as a reporter who only sticks to one thing, but besides that, I’m not so sure.”

“I’ve been living this way my whole life. It’s hard to change all of a sudden.”

“That’s an excuse, too.”

“Is it…?”

In the quiet conversation, he recalled memories of the past little by little. Ha Joyoon thought about a point in time when he and Shin Kwonjoo crossed paths while he tapped at his cup which was still warm.

The Shin Kwonjoo he remembered, felt more sharp and rough than now. He was passionate as much as he was cold, and he was quite prideful as well. No matter how good his skills and family were, he must’ve been discriminated against because he was Asian. It was not difficult to guess that there were countless trials and pains his boss had to face until he got to where he was now.

If I overcome numerous storms and trials, could I become a little stronger like you?

“Sometimes human life is as easily taken as tearing a piece of paper.”

He added, before wrapping the back of Ha Joyoon’s neck with one hand, pulling him. “Uhh,” a dazed voice sounded. Without having to put in much strength, his body sank down, moving easily with the hand.

“That’s why I don’t really like people in this field of work. Doesn’t seem like they’ll live long.”

“Sunbae-nim.”

Shin Kwonjoo smiled mischievously and tilted his head when Ha Joyoon called him in embarrassment. As their cheeks brushed, the nose glided down rubbing his gently. “Open your mouth,” At the low whisper, he opened his lips without even realizing.

Soon, their hot tongues got tangled and their rough breaths mixed together. Unable to overcome the weight of the body gradually leaning toward him while holding the sheet, Ha Joyoon hurriedly grabbed the front of the man’s shirt. “Hnh…” He let out an uncontrollable moan. When he gasped because he couldn’t breathe properly, the man laughed into his neck and bit his pale cheek. His eyes closed shut at the sharp sensation. Shin Kwonjoo grabbed the hand about to push him away and whispered with a relaxed smile.

“Let’s do it again.”

Han Joyoon slowly opened his eyes and made eye contact. He was met with irises that shone oddly, filled with innate strength and willfulness. It was the eyes of someone who might have been hurt in the past but refused to cave in. It looked like he had a strange conviction that he would overcome the past memories that were currently binding him, and break the link someday.

On the other hand, Ha Joyoon felt sad and truly pathetic in his situation where his pain kept getting worse as the days went by but he couldn’t do anything about it.

What he had lost was not just people, but countless memories of love, trust, hope and life that could not be converted into money. He stared at the other silently for a long time and nodded heavily, their lips meeting together once more.