Eighteen’s Bed

The heavy drowsiness slowly drifted away, carried by the light breeze seeping through the open window. As if my eyelids had brushed against the desert wind, they felt unbearably dry as they parted.

A bright light seeped through the tangled lashes, and I absentmindedly thought, It must be morning.

“……”

The strange thing was that I could feel the strangeness itself.

At first, it was just a suffocating pressure low on my abdomen. But as my hazy mind sharpened, so did the weight pressing against me.

I rubbed my face into the pillow, trying to wake up. The ends of my disheveled hair tickled my dry skin, and at that moment, an unfamiliar heat pressed against the back of my head.

Huh?

As I blinked blankly, I heard the steady rhythm of low breathing.

The mind always returns at the strangest moments—just like now.

“…What the hell.”

My eyes flew open as I scanned the room. Still lying on my pillow, I quickly retraced my memories.

It was evening. Yeah, it was evening.

Go Yohan and I had kissed until our lips were chapped. Then, out of nowhere, we bought a can of beer and a smashed piece of cake from the convenience store. We also grabbed a few packs of frozen Vienna sausages on impulse. I don’t know why—I just felt like it.

Honestly, I hadn’t been in my right mind even back then.

Then, after coming home, we poured the beer into some dusty wine glasses we’d found buried somewhere.

…And that’s where my memory cut off.

“Ugh—ah!”

I tried to sit up but collapsed to the side with a choked gasp. A sharp pressure bore down on my lower abdomen, making it impossible to move. I barely managed to lift my upper body, but that was it.

At the same time, I became very aware of the unfamiliar heat.

“…Fuck.”

I bit down on my lip and carefully lifted the blanket.

A broad back pressed flush against mine. A forearm draped over my waist, crossing over to my side. And then—two large hands, shoved deep into my underwear.

Not just shoved in, either. The damn thing didn’t even fit. Three fingers on the right hand—pinky, ring, and middle—were left awkwardly hanging outside, unable to slip in.

The breathing I hadn’t noticed earlier thundered behind my ear.

Jesus fucking Christ, why is this bastard sleeping with his hand in my underwear?!

I wanted to shove Go Yohan away, but I couldn’t even attempt it—I had to give up before I even tried.

Because the morning stiffness pressing against his thumb was mine.

“…For fuck’s sake.”

The hand stuffed inside twitched.

It brushed over the crease where my thigh folded.

• "Friend… through this number… because it’s yours, I answered..."

• "Ugh, be careful. I thought you hung up on me because you didn’t want to see me. I almost got hurt."

• "So, you did block me, right?"

• "Did you go? Did you go to the amusement park with your friend?"

• "Joon’s friend. Is this really how it’s gonna be? My conscience is killing me. You really went because I told you to?"

• "Why does someone like you still not have a girlfriend? Is it because you’re so pure? I thought you were a player, but you’re so pure, you’re just setting up traps everywhere. Wow. Good Joon’s friend. If it were me, I would’ve sold that look to someone else. I really didn’t think you’d actually go."

• "Uuugh..."

• "Wasn’t there an amusement park? Cheongsong has delicious apples, but it's a bleak town for growing boys."

• "Stop it now. Don’t lie to me anymore. I know you don’t want to send me free apples. They say rich people are stingy, and you really live up to that."

• "Living in a small town like that, do you think you’ve ever had a proper relationship? Came to Seoul for your studies and spent your youth studying. Ugh, that’s controlling."

• "Uuugh...!"

• "I love you. Please. Actually, I’ve been telling my friends that I have a girlfriend, but now with all this doubt piling up, I’m pretending to get a call to make it seem like I’m busy. Joon’s friend, wait! Wait!"

• "Uuugh, I miss you too. Since I couldn’t see you today, I feel so hurts!"

• "Ugh! That was close."

• "Joon, I heard everything. Fuck? You don’t know the life of an average man, do you? You can say those nasty things because you’ve got girls all around you, and everyone believes your lies, like how you meet sixty women a day, but not me. I get suspicion from the start."

• "Yeah, I thought so. If you had a girl, you wouldn’t have gone to the amusement park with some dude on Christmas. That’s not normal."

• "It is. Do you believe Joon’s friend doesn’t have a woman? Joon’s friend doesn’t seem interested in women, but your friend, he’s a different story. He’d be the type to have a sex party in a motel. With alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes... playing club music, all while three women, alone, just...!"

• "Well, I guess, but I still think he had a party with drinks and cigarettes, right?"

• "Sex. Sex."

• "Ah, jealous, huh? Hey, Joon’s friend. Eeew."

• "I can’t help it. Your friend looks cold, like someone you’d gamble with just for fun. A woman would definitely swarm him. I bet if you were with him, it would be exciting forever. You’d be telling everyone until you’re old and grey, ‘I used to date Go Yohan.’ And then your grandkids would get sick of it and yell at you to stop talking about it, but you’d be like, ‘No, I had to tell you. I went out with him for three months!’ Sounds like a big achievement, doesn’t it?"

• “Joon’s friend, huh. Friend. And don’t get discouraged. Men care most about money, you know?”

• “Liar! Friend, don’t you remember our first meeting? The group project? That guy from your school? The one with that creepy look? He said you were rich!”

• “What? So that guy screwed you over back then? Seriously?”

• “Oh, that makes sense. Kind of petty, though.”

• “Isn’t Joon’s friend a model student, too?”

• “Don’t give me that virtuous talk. I’ve done a lot of things that are really making me feel guilty lately.”

• “Anyway, tell your friend thanks. That’s why I called. I wanted to make sure he got what I sent. But it looks like he’s ignoring my messages? That kind of thing really hurts, you know? By the way, Joon’s friend, why is it so hard for him to check his emails? I thought I was gonna die Googling it. Oh, and I found out which high school you went to. It’s... the one that’s named...”

• “Friend! His personality is a mess, but when it comes to money, he’s serious! He suddenly asked me for my bank details over text, so I gave them to him, and he actually sent me money! He’s quick on the draw. For the ticket. That friend of yours, wow, he’s bold.”

• “You bought the ticket, and your friend bought my effort. It was a fair trade, I think.”

• “So, I sent some extra as a bonus. Enjoy it.”

• “I should hang up now. My friends are calling me. See you later! I’m off, world!”