Chapter 17 - 1#

A resonant shout echoed through the air.

Perhaps because of the sudden sweltering weather, the interior felt humid even with the air conditioner running. Filled with the scent of sweat, this place was the martial arts training hall located in the annex of the government building.

Arriving at the entrance, Do-jin stepped inside with a furrowed brow. It seemed the hall had been reserved, as only the members of Team 1 were present. After taking a few steps, he spotted Hye-jun, dressed in a training uniform, learning moves from Hwang Si-woo. Nearby, Kim Kang-san was sitting cross-legged, staring intently as if trying to learn the movements with his eyes.

Having found his target, Do-jin marched straight ahead. Since they were facing each other, Hwang Si-woo was the first to notice him. Kim Kang-san, wondering about Hwang Si-woo’s reaction, turned his gaze next, spotted Do-jin, and sprang to his feet. Only Hye-jun, who stood with his back to the door and was absorbed in reviewing the moves he’d learned, remained unaware, repeatedly mimicking the technique of breaking an opponent’s posture.

‘Shh.’

The two men looked at Do-jin, wondering if they should inform Hye-jun that his superior had arrived. Do-jin approached further, leisurely placing his index finger over his lips to signal them to be quiet. While he approached stealthily, Hye-jun seemed to sense something was off. He turned his attention toward the direction of the presence, only to find Do-jin already close, causing his shoulders to flinch. His clear eyes practically screamed: I’m screwed.

As Hye-jun tried to flee immediately, Do-jin caught him right then and there. Holding his prey firmly, he directed a question at Hwang Si-woo.

“You taught him breakfalls, right?”

“Pardon? Ah, I did start with that, but I’m not sure if he can apply it in real life yet…”

Turning his gaze away from the affirming Hwang Si-woo, Do-jin lowered his body beneath the shoulders of Hye-jun, who was constantly trying to pull away. He then threw the uniform-clad body over his shoulder in a shoulder-throw motion. As he fell and his back hit the mat, Hye-jun instinctively braced himself with his arms to protect his body.

Thump!

“Ugh…!”

Even while groaning, the way he raised his upper body like a springing coil was the textbook definition of a rear breakfall.

Kim Kang-san and Hwang Si-woo watched the scene and began to applaud as if possessed. Hye-jun glared at them sharply and tried to scramble up, but before he could fix his posture, Do-jin was one step ahead, pinning down his upper body.

Do-jin cast his shadow over Hye-jun like a dark cloud gathering overhead, looking down intently at the startled face. Though Hwang Si-woo and Kim Kang-san watched with aghast expressions—as if wondering when they had ever clapped in admiration—Do-jin ignored them both, staring only at the captive beneath him as he made a low proposal.

“That was a shoulder throw just now. Shall I teach you?”

Catching his ragged breath, Hye-jun asked back with a suspicious look.

“Chief, do you know how to do Judo too?”

Do-jin’s brow twitched as if he couldn’t understand the question, and he soon clenched his teeth. He looked utterly dumbfounded.

“Team Leader Nam, you really have no interest in me. Did you not even know I’m a black belt?”

“Why would I need to know something like that… Chief, do you know what rank I am?”

“I know the ranks of every single member of the Violent Crimes Unit. Team Leader Nam is a black belt in Hapkido and Taekwondo.”

“….Ah.”

“What exactly do you know about me?”

Excluding his private life, which was shrouded in mystery, Hye-jun knew most things. Through the stories that drifted like the wind, Hye-jun knew about the ‘Sa Do-jin’ people talked about, and after living and working together for nearly a year, he had come to know the Sa Do-jin he saw with his own eyes very well. What he preferred and what he detested. What he could tolerate and what he absolutely would not. His coffee preference, his taste in food, the color of the car he liked to drive, and the brand of watch he frequently wore. Which lip he sucked first when kissing, and even his habits in bed.

He realized anew that he knew quite a lot about him, except for minor gaps like his martial arts rank. It seemed that whenever he heard even one detail, he didn’t forget it and stored it away carefully in his memory. The sudden realization was so embarrassing that he felt a strong impulse to escape the spot. Firmly resolved, Hye-jun tried to use the recoil of his waist strength to push himself up. However, Do-jin was faster again, pressing down on his shoulders.

Grip.

“Ugh.”

Hye-jun’s back, pressed against the floor, made more contact as the surface area widened. Pinning his upper arms with monstrous strength to keep him from moving, Do-jin explained kindly.

“Listen well. This is the most basic of the pinning techniques. It’s called a shoulder pin. If ten seconds pass in this state, I gain a half-point.”

“Move out of the way!”

“And if twenty seconds pass, I get an Ippon… but.”

It was the moment when Do-jin continued to suppress Hye-jun as if he wouldn’t let go until the twenty seconds had passed.

The upper body of the struggling prey and the hands blocking it continued their power struggle. In the process, the gap in Hye-jun’s top flew wide open. His exposed chest was glistening with sweat. Realizing this, Hye-jun’s pupils shook violently in shock. Sensing the agitation, Do-jin stared as if looking past the fabric. His brow furrowed as he discovered a damp nipple in a precarious position.

A strange atmosphere flowed. Hwang Si-woo and Kim Kang-san, not knowing what to do, hesitated, half-bending their bodies as if they might reach out. Irritated by those timid movements, Do-jin raised his head while still holding Hye-jun captive. His cynical gaze pierced the two interrupters accurately. When they froze in place, he spoke coldly.

“Get your hands out of here.”

Sensing the danger, the two took a few steps back and withdrew their hands. He added a final warning.

“Turn your heads.”

However, unable to bring themselves to turn away completely, they continued to watch Hye-jun’s state. Seeing this from inches away, Do-jin threatened in a calm voice.

“Shall I snap your necks? They still look a bit stiff.”

The two men playing the role of observers finally carried out the remaining command. Meanwhile, Do-jin pulled Hye-jun up and pointed toward the locker room ahead.

“Team Leader Nam, go inside.”

Fixing his clothes, Hye-jun asked with a reluctant, bitter tone.

Even here, with people watching, Do-jin had subdued him with force without hesitation; he was already terrified of what might happen in that enclosed space.

“Why?”

“I have something urgent to discuss.”

“Can’t you say it here?”

“I’ll say it there.”

“I need to learn more Judo. I just started.”

“Detective Hwang says he’s busy teaching Detective Kim.”

Do-jin looked back at Hwang Si-woo without asking for consent. His gaze, which already held the answer, stared the man down. Hwang Si-woo looked at Kim Kang-san once, then at Hye-jun across from him, before closing his eyes tight and answering.

“Ah, yes. I… was actually just about to instruct Detective Kim…”

Hye-jun’s body recoiled in absurdity. Kim Kang-san had already learned before him.

As he shot a look that said ‘You traitor,’ a sheepish Hwang Si-woo grabbed Kim Kang-san by the scruff of the neck and moved as far away from them as possible. He might have been afraid of the consequences from Do-jin, but like Yoon Tae-wan’s thoughts, he likely felt it was time for the two superiors to return to their original dynamic.

Hye-jun, troubled in silence, eventually walked toward the locker room as Do-jin ordered. He could feel the presence following him from right behind. It was very—really, very—nerve-wracking.

He wasn’t ready to face him yet. Thinking he couldn’t do this, he suddenly veered left while walking in a straight line. Just as he tried to bolt toward the exit, Do-jin grabbed him by the back of the neck as if he had his every thought in the palm of his hand.

“Ugh.”

Do-jin’s large hand wrapped around the skin damp with sweat. He exerted strength in his fingertips, fingering the moisture-slicked skin. The touch was quite stubborn.

“You must have taken a wrong turn, right? Not trying to run away.”

“….Maybe?”

“I thought so. You shouldn’t be that pathetic while wearing a human face. Ten steps to the right.”

There was an invisible power in his command. In the end, Hye-jun turned again while his neck was still being held.

Reluctantly, he entered the locker room and moved to the back where the cabinets were tightly lined up.

The sound of the door being locked from the inside was heard.

Do-jin never once overtook Hye-jun, walking silently behind him. The sound of his dress shoes rang out in even strides—tap, tap. For some reason, it made Hye-jun feel tightly wound with tension. While taking towels and clothes out of the cabinet, he suddenly looked down at his own bare white feet. The sound of the heels had stopped, but unable to bear this sense of heterogeneity, he turned toward him with resolve.

“Chief, this is a locker room, so you shouldn’t wear shoes… Ah!”

Thud.

Before he could even finish his sentence, he was pushed against the cabinet. Hye-jun, whose back hit the cold metal locker, looked up at Do-jin in disbelief. Do-jin merely observed Hye-jun silently.

The sight of him loosely wearing the training uniform, drenched in sweat, was nothing short of provocative. Damp hair fell over his pale face. His cheeks, wrists, Adam’s apple, and ankles—everything not covered by clothing—were all moist.

Do-jin’s eyes scanned the rising and falling bone of that glistening Adam’s apple as if inspecting a product. Uncomfortable with this thorough and detailed gaze, Hye-jun pulled his clothes shut again. As if dissatisfied, Do-jin pulled the collar of the training top halfway open again. Hye-jun’s surprised hands fell away, yielding to gravity.

“What are you doing?”

“Because I want to see your skin wet.”

“Do you know how much of a pervert you sound like right now?”

“Open it more before I make sounds of pleasure come out of your mouth, Team Leader Nam.”

“Chief, listen.”

He looked at him with eyes full of signs of disapproval, but Do-jin showed no intention of listening. When Hye-jun didn’t follow the instruction and stayed still, Do-jin personally pulled the collar wider and fixed his gaze inside.

Hye-jun felt Do-jin’s dark, deep pupils land accurately on his pink nipple standing erect beneath the thin fabric. Unable to bring himself to push him away, Hye-jun’s face turned bright red as he endured it. It felt like his heart was going to explode. Do-jin was merely looking, but Hye-jun felt as aroused as if he were being touched. Do-jin seemed to feel the same.

“Why is this standing so tall? What kind of thoughts were you having while doing Judo to make this stand up?”

As Do-jin brushed the tip of his finger over the nipple, Hye-jun’s body trembled.

“That’s just from rubbing against the clothes…”

“It looks like it’s waiting to be sucked.”

“It’s not like that. If you’ve seen enough, please move—ngh!”

In an instant, Do-jin pinned Hye-jun’s arms and wedged his thigh between Hye-jun’s legs. It was like the starting pistol firing at a marathon.

As if the real race was starting now, Do-jin tilted his head and began to lick the area around his neck. At the same time, his sensual hand slipped under the hem of the clothes and caressed his spine. Hye-jun’s hands twitched incessantly near Do-jin’s waist. Because his palms were damp, he couldn’t bring himself to grab Do-jin’s clothes and remained restless.

“Ah, ugh, you… you said if I opened it, you wouldn’t… do this…”

“That was if you opened it.”

In the meantime, Do-jin moved faithfully. He smoothly tilted his head lower, shoved his chin into the training top that was already spread like a blooming flower, and nibbled on the erect nipple. When Hye-jun accidentally grabbed his clothes from the tingling stimulation, Do-jin began to lick the areola even more pointedly and swept away the sweat drenching his chest with the tip of his tongue.

“Haa, Chief, ah…!”

Sa Do-jin’s suggestive actions stimulated Hye-jun’s lust. Although his whole body was pinned, it wasn’t by force. Do-jin wasn’t using strong physical strength, so he could have pushed him away whenever he wanted. But he couldn’t find the will to do so.

Even though his current state must have looked filthy to the clean Do-jin, the man was obsessed with inhaling his skin, heedless of anything else. On the contrary, it seemed to make him even more excited. The movements of his teeth and tongue were becoming increasingly unrestrained. The strength in the hands of Hye-jun, whose chest was being sucked, increased almost in direct proportion. He gripped the dress shirt tightly and curled his body.

Finally, Do-jin, with dark eyes, raised his upper body again. His pupils were full of heat. An intense desire that seemed capable of burning Hye-jun was clearly visible. His lips were moist from constantly sucking the wet skin, giving them a suggestive sheen. He tilted his head as if to kiss. Hye-jun, fearing that if he broke down here, it would lead to the end regardless of what it was, squeezed out every ounce of strength to speak.

“If it’s about that day, you don’t have to worry…”

“But I want to worry about it.”

“Why do you keep hounding me?”

Do-jin didn’t deny it.

“Yes. I sucked a fucking man’s cock, and now I’m following his shadow around.”

“….”

“You dared to make me such a fool. Do you even know what this means?”

Through Hye-jun’s palms, which were gripping and releasing his clothes, he could vividly feel the muscles twitching every time Do-jin took a ragged breath. Strangely, the suppressed anger seemed to be transmitted through those movements.

“Is it because you want to do it again?”

“You know very well. I just want to play around, so stop running away before I tie up your arms and legs and lock you up.”

Why would you tie up limbs if you’re just playing… If the word ‘hardcore’ were molded into a human, it would be Sa Do-jin.

“It doesn’t have to be me.”

“On the flip side, what is the reason it shouldn’t be you? I know you hate me. I’m just saying let’s have some sex whenever stress builds up. Physical distance is close, no one would suspect us of fucking, our sexual chemistry is good, and it’s convenient. Aren’t there more reasons to do it than not to? What are you so afraid of?”

Hye-jun’s pupils shook as restlessly as his heart.

“To summarize it in one sentence, it means there are no repercussions if you ’eat’ me?”

“You sound like you’re hoping I’ll say no? Why are you being like this, it’s so outdated. That’s right. There are no repercussions even if I eat Team Leader Nam Hye-jun.”

Being hit where it hurt made his heart ache.

The look in Hye-jun’s eyes as he chewed over those words was complex. It was the expression of someone seeing a suspect change their statement right in front of them. His deep sigh was also full of turmoil.

Even though his head knew Do-jin was treating him as a convenient sex partner, hearing it directly was a wound.

Because he knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse if Sa Do-jin spoke of a ’next time,’ he had been running away. The sex that night had satisfied both of them. If he wasn’t careful, it felt like they would become a relationship that only craved bodies. In the midst of that, he was afraid that while the other remained the same, he would be the one to have his heated emotions discovered. That’s why he fled. He hadn’t calculated that doing so would make him look even more suspicious.

In the end, Hye-jun dropped the clothes he had been clutching in one hand as if throwing them away and grabbed Do-jin by the collar with both arms. Reason often failed to function in the face of instinct and desire. The fact that he hadn’t drunk a single drop of alcohol had no influence on this act.

The gesture of lunging at him and clashing their lips was precarious and urgent. Do-jin’s legs, accepting the rough kiss, were pushed back continuously. Finally, his slender back collided with the opposite wall.

His hand went inside the training top and constantly caressed the wet body. Hye-jun, panting, also frantically fingered the stiff texture of the dress shirt as if not wanting to lose. Eventually, the man leaning against the wall adjusted his posture while feeling up Hye-jun’s back. Naturally, the two passed between the cabinets, kissing as violently as if they were fighting. They bit each other’s lips and sucked each other’s tongues wildly. A groan burst through Hye-jun’s lips as he ran out of breath.

“Haa, ngh.”

A long thread of saliva stretched between the two lips that pulled apart regretfully. When he licked the saliva hanging from the edge of his lip as if to consume it, the corners of Do-jin’s furrowed eyes turned red with lust as he watched.

Thud!

Overturning the posture again to lean Hye-jun against the cabinet as before, he gripped the buttocks over the training pants with both hands as if splitting them. Hye-jun slid his hand into the narrow gap where their bodies touched to undo the buckle of Do-jin’s pants. Before they could even open the front, their lips met greedily again like beasts that had starved for days.

“Huu, mmpph…….”

It was right then.

Knock, knock, knock!

Exactly three knocks created a silence so sharp it was chilling.

The cautious voice that followed was a familiar frequency.

“Chief! Team Leader! Can you hear me? It’s Kang-san!”

Hye-jun froze. Forgetting for a moment that the entrance was locked, he tried to push him away quickly. Do-jin, noticing immediately, expressed his refusal by hugging him tightly. Their ragged breaths scattered over each other’s shoulders.

In the meantime, perhaps finding the lack of response strange, Kim Kang-san urged them once more.

“I think we need to use the shower room soon! Our team’s reservation for the hall ends in 15 minutes!”

Neither of them answered. As it remained quiet inside, the sound of Hwang Si-woo and Kim Kang-san murmuring outside—as if holding an emergency meeting—reached them. Only then did Do-jin pull his upper body away, lightly kissing Hye-jun’s trembling chin while caressing it with his fingertips.

“Shall we move elsewhere and finish?”

“Where? There are no empty spots in the government building on a weekday.”

“What am I to do if you know even less than me, and I’ve been appointed for less than a year. Follow me.”

Do-jin, having grabbed Hye-jun’s hand, thought for a moment before shifting his position to grip the wrist. Because his hand was so large, the way he circled it made it look exactly like he had handcuffed him. When he tried to lead him out like that, Hye-jun first put up a struggle.

“Wait a minute. I need to wash up. You hate dirty things.”

Do-jin, scanning the disheveled state of the training uniform from top to bottom, straightened his clothes for him. Soon, tilting his head to give a quick kiss to the sweat-drenched nape of his neck, he declined elegantly.

“I like it like this.”

While Hye-jun’s face flushed bright red in embarrassment, Do-jin swung the locker room door open.

“Wait, Chief. Let go. If we go out like this, the team members will misunderstand—”

Hwang Si-woo and Kim Kang-san, who were discussing near the door, tilted their heads upon seeing the two. As Hye-jun expected, they spotted the thin wrist he was gripping and turned pale with shock. It must have looked exactly like Do-jin was forcibly dragging their team leader to a slaughterhouse. For some reason, Do-jin fueled their imagination by kindly explaining to them, though he usually would have ignored them.

“You two wash up and head back first. Team Leader Nam and I need to move and talk more.”

“Pardon? Chief? Where are you taking our Team Leader? At least let him change his clothes before you take him!”

“Hey, Team Leader! You are coming back alive, right?”

Passing the two who were sincerely worried, he walked ahead. Hye-jun, with one arm caught, gestured to the back as if to say he wasn’t going to his death, and then followed after him. While walking down the hallway and climbing the stairs, Do-jin took his hand again. Sticky sweat filled the space between their firmly intertwined palms.

There was one more thing Hye-jun had recently learned about Sa Do-jin, besides the fact that he was a Judo black belt.

He liked gripping his hand and slotting his fingers into the valleys in between.

Hye-jun’s face turned scarlet at that thought.