Jihoon Kang was walking by the marketing team's office. When he spotted s.h.i.+n Kim, he asked, "Mr. s.h.i.+n, you just came back from an abroad business trip, right? Don't you have any gifts for me?"

"Pressuring a co-worker for gifts can be reported to the HR department as hara.s.sment."

s.h.i.+n replied calmly without even turning around. Because he was so tall, he stood out in any room even when he was sitting down. s.h.i.+n was wearing a navy wool turtleneck inside his suit jacket rather than his usual business s.h.i.+rt. The simple outfit suited him very well.

Jihoon studied s.h.i.+n a few seconds before replying, "What the heck. You look disgustingly good."

"… That's a compliment, right?"

Without replying, Jihoon walked away to his own office. s.h.i.+n looked at him in confusion before returning to his work. He had to complete his report on the recent business trip.

There were much fewer reports to do than he expected. It was most likely because they didn't spend much of the budget at all. They were so busy with work that all they spent their business allowance on was for the hotel, travel, and food.

"That was such a tightly-scheduled trip. So tiring."

s.h.i.+n continued to record the receipts from the recent trip when suddenly, he received a message. s.h.i.+n clicked it and learned that it was from Woojin Choi.

-Do you want to have lunch together?

"…"

'Hmmm… So he does know how to ask me out.'

Realizing he was grinning like an idiot, s.h.i.+n coughed to erase his face of any emotions. He stared at the message for a long time. It had only been one day since they returned from the trip. They didn't even get a day off.

Korea was certainly warmer than Germany, but the weather was still chilly.

Tomorrow was thankfully the weekend. Outside, s.h.i.+n could see the yellow and red leaves falling and dancing in the wind. Suddenly, he remembered Woojin's words in his hotel room.

"Let's date just for a month."

Woojin's eyes were wet when he whispered these words. Perhaps Woojin was worried s.h.i.+n didn't hear him. Woojin's hands were trembling lightly. s.h.i.+n could smell the sweetness of the wine on his breath. Just a moment ago, Woojin looked asleep, but his voice was clear.

s.h.i.+n answered without hesitation, "Alright." It was an instinctive answer. s.h.i.+n knew if he said no, he would never get another chance. Woojin would never ask him again. By now, s.h.i.+n knew that Woojin only knew how to become distant.

Woojin Choi didn't know how to get close to anyone.

There was no other answer s.h.i.+n could have given other than yes. It didn't matter if it was going to be a week or a month. If Woojin meant what he said, then s.h.i.+n had no choice but to accept it and try to figure out the meaning of it all.

s.h.i.+n whispered, "Then…"

He lifted Woojin's chin up towards him. The room was still dark, but s.h.i.+n's eyes adjusted by then and they could see Woojin's eyes.

Long lashes seemed to create a large shadow on Woojin's face. A round youthful face. s.h.i.+n was sure they had met each other before, but he also knew that even if they had, Woojin would've never made himself known to s.h.i.+n at the time.

So many emotions showed on Woojin's face. s.h.i.+n looked straight into his eyes and asked, "What should we start with?"

s.h.i.+n kissed Woojin's wrist. Woojin looked at him with wide eyes as s.h.i.+n pulled him closer and kissed the inside of Woojin's wrist.

s.h.i.+n thought to himself, 'I want you to be curious about me. I want you to want to learn about me.' He felt his insides burning and his vessels constricting.

Woojin moaned and tried to pull out his hand, but s.h.i.+n tightened his grip and licked Woojin's wrist. Woojin tried to step back, but s.h.i.+n held his shoulders and hugged him tightly. s.h.i.+n trapped him inside his embrace and asked, "Do you think you can have s.e.x with me?"

"…"

"You can't?"

s.h.i.+n was filled with so many questions for Woojin. What happened to his wrist that caused those distinctive scars? How did Woojin know him? s.h.i.+n thought that perhaps all these questions were part of his s.e.xual need and fantasy. s.h.i.+n pulled on Woojin's neck, which was shaking, and kissed it. s.h.i.+n could hear the blood pumping through Woojin's veins.

Woojin whispered, "How about you?" His voice trembled.

s.h.i.+n continued to travel down Woojin's neck with deep kisses. He tasted Woojin with his tongue and found his skin was soft. The erotic sensation of it felt almost destructive.

Woojin tried to ask again, "s.h.i.+n, do you think you can have s.e.x with…"

s.h.i.+n thought that if he had to pick a color to describe Woojin's breath, it would be red. A burning red like the sunset. s.h.i.+n slowly tasted the redness of Woojin's lips and breath. He bit them lightly and let them go.

"Ahh.."

This was their second kiss. It felt like a kind of a seal that announced the beginning of something… searing. This time s.h.i.+n kissed Woojin with purpose, rather than impulsively like last time.

As soon as their lips met again, their bodies shook. Their tongues mingled, and their different colors mixed together into one. The taste of beer and wine blended as the kiss deepened.

s.h.i.+n saw Woojin's eyes close and guided him to the bed. Their bodies collided, making them feel… heat, pressure, and ache. When their lips finally parted, their eyes were staring at each other while they panted breathlessly.

Suddenly, they realized that they were wearing too many clothes.

s.h.i.+n answered with a question, "Does that answer your question?"

He wanted to do it right now. s.h.i.+n could feel his heart beating and he feared that it was going to jump out of his chest. It was too intense.

s.h.i.+n continued to pant as he kissed Woojin's forehead and ears. s.h.i.+n's warm breath made Woojin shutter.

Everything… was happening.

The night continued to deepen.