The Pathetically Jealous Man, Chapter 1.1
CHAPTER 1.1
“Ahhh, nnngh…”
As usual, Lim Taesup ejaculated deeply inside Lumin and then collapsed on his chest. The afterglow of the orgasm that began deep inside his stomach spread throughout his entire body. Lumin made a slight grimace because of the weight of the man on his body. Taesup, seeing his face, moved over to lay on his back. The two lay side by side, panting as they looked at the ceiling.
It had already been four years since they started sleeping together.
“That felt great,” Taesup started with a compliment. “Felt different from usual, huh?”
But Lumin, who was generally a bright kid, was unusually quiet. Taesup turned his head and looked at him. Lumin was staring blankly at the ceiling with his plump lips slightly open.
Huh? Was it only good for me?
Taesup turned his head toward the ceiling again.
Since he had spent quite some years with Lumin, he no longer felt the same tension as before. But Taesup still liked Lumin’s body. He’d chosen the kid for his face, so there was nothing more to say there. Plus, his neckline was delicate, and the shoulders at the end of his extended collarbones fell at a right angle, creating a pretty shape. The lean but firm body always shone fairly, and his fleshy ass was always the perfect place to grip during sex. Not to mention his long and pretty legs.
In vulgar terms, Lumin had a banging face and body.
Taesup ignored Lumin, who didn’t answer his question, and took a short breath before continuing.
“I listened to your new album, and the songs were good. The dance moves were pretty too.”
“...I like you.”
“Huh?” Taesup said, surprised by Lumin’s sudden, random sentence.
What was he talking about? Taesup wasn’t able to understand the very simple sentence.
“I said, I like you,” Lumin repeated.
“I don’t get what you—”
“I like you, Ahjussi.”
Until he heard this.
“What do you…” Taesup trailed off. He finally let out a deep sigh upon hearing the subject, object, and verb all together.
Taesup hadn’t ever entertained the idea that Lumin might have feelings for him. He looked at the kid, wondering if this was a joke, but it wasn’t April Fool’s Day. And Lumin’s eyes were shiny and wet, his lips pursed so the full feelings in his chest wouldn’t overflow, and anyone could tell that he was nervous about confessing his feelings. The handsome Taesup, who had received countless confessions over his life, couldn’t help but notice the expression.
“Y-yeah, me too…”
Lumin’s face brightened at Taesup’s answer.
“I like you too, you little punk.”
Taesup tried to act calm, though he was shocked by the sudden confession of feelings that he hadn’t noticed for four years.
Lumin noticed the nuance hidden in the qualified answer, and made a serious expression again. He propped his head on his elbows and lay on his side, looking down at Taesup. Despite his disheveled appearance right after sex, Lumin was still dazzling, living up to his reputation as an idol fairy.
He was exactly Taesup’s type.
However, he had no desire to date anyone right now, and more than anything, he never imagined dating a kid who was there solely to satisfy his lust.
“That’s not what I mean…”
Lumin’s pretty lashes looked down, fluttering anxiously as he made circles on Taesup’s chest.
“What about you, Ahjussi?” Lumin asked seriously, unlike his usual self.
Taesup didn’t answer, and Lumin lifted his eyes to meet his gaze.
“H-huh?”
Taesup stammered, trying to think of a response. The worst scenario had finally happened.
There had been times in the past when Taesup’s sex partners confessed to him because they were attracted to his gentle and mannered behavior. That was always when the relationship had to end. And that time had come again.
Taesup averted his gaze from Lumin and tried to figure out how to respond. He raised his body, supported his weight on his elbows, and opened his mouth.
“Lumin, think about it carefully. I’m your sponsor. I support you in your career, and you have sex with me to make me feel good, you know?”
Lumin lowered his eyes and broke eye contact.
“Listen, I haven’t led you on these past four years, right? Our relationship’s in a good place right now, don’t you think?”
Lumin nodded slowly, as if he agreed.
It was a mature rejection, Taegun thought. He explained the situation well, and Lumin seemed to accept it for his part.
Thinking about it again, the situation just didn’t make any sense. Dating a kid who was over ten years younger than him? And he was sponsoring him?
Lumin raised his eyes again and met Taesup’s eyes. It looked like he’d given up completely.
Yeah, he gets it, right?
Taesup closed his eyes, patted Lumin on the shoulder, and smiled.
After that, they met again the next day and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Taesup and Lumin had sex, and they continued their sponsored relationship.
***
Just like that, a year passed.
“What?! How does that make any sense?!”
Taesup jumped up from his seat, holding his phone with one hand and taking off his sunglasses with the other. He shouted so loud, his eyes were about to pop out. He couldn’t believe the entertainment news article he’d just read on his phone.
“Hey, hey, quiet down. People are gonna recognize you.”
Lee Seonho shrunk his body and lowered his voice to avoid the curious gazes of the people around them and covered Taesup’s face with a napkin. He tried to calm his friend down with a shhh gesture, but the aggravated Taesup remained standing and stared at his cell phone without moving an inch.
Taesup recalled congratulating Lumin, who had recently been announced as a mentor on an idol competition program. He’d even teased him, asking if the kid was a veteran singer now.
But suddenly, there was a rumor that he was dating someone from that TV show?
[Scoop! Dating rumors swirl around Idol Maker judge Lumin! The first same-sex couple in the entertainment industry?]
What the hell did that mean?!
Taesup, who had read the internet article multiple times with a furious gaze, sat down in his seat totally bewildered. Seonho finally sighed in relief and sipped his drink with a straw. He took advantage of Taesup’s silence to talk.
“Lumin’s been acting kinda weird lately while shooting Idol Maker. He’s been staring into space and doesn’t even notice when I try to pass him the mic. He’s been completely out of it.”
Taesup’s eyes narrowed, deep in thought.
“Hey, are you dating him?” Seonho asked.
“No,” Taesup answered the question indifferently, looking out the window.
“Then what’s going on?”
Well, I’m his sponsor is what’s up...
Taesup’s thoughts deepened, and his gaze darkened behind his sunglasses.
“Don’t tell me…you’ve got a crush on him or something?”
“Of course not!” Taesup yelled instinctively.
His heart started beating faster at Seonho’s accusation. Taesup took off his sunglasses nervously and glared at him. A crush? Of course not. If anyone had a crush, it was Lumin, not Taesup.
Me?
The great Taesup?
Have a crush on a kid like Lumin?
***
“Ma Jehyuk... Ma. Je. Hyuk...”
Taesup put on his glasses, lay down on the living room sofa where the sunlight flowed in, and typed Ma Jehyuk’s name into the search bar on his phone.
“There’s a rumor going around that Lumin’s love interest is way older than him. The stylist says it’s Ma Jehyuk, the guy shooting Idol Maker with Lumin.”
That’s what Seonho had said about the whole ridiculous situation. Ma Jehyuk. What the hell kind of name was “Ma Jehyuk”? Taesup had heard the name here and there, but the more he thought about it, the more unpleasant it sounded.
Ma Jehyuk’s profile photo appeared at the top of the phone screen. A sculpted face, thick eyebrows, and sharp eyes.
“What an uglyass guy.”
Taesup scoffed as he scrutinized Ma Jehyuk’s profile. He skimmed through the guy’s name, agency, blood type, MBTI, and other useless information…and then stopped at his age. Taesup frowned, staring at it. He sprang up and clenched his hands into fists.
“Is he fucking crazy?!”
The curse flew out of his mouth. Lumin was only twenty-two now, and Ma Jehyuk was thirty-two, a whole decade older. Didn’t that count as a cradle robber? The absolute nerve of this ahjussi! The thirty-five-year-old Taesup let out a hollow laugh and threw his phone down on the sofa.
The situation was too absurd. Ma Jehyuk wasn’t even Lumin’s type. And on top of that, their age gap was way too big. Taesup worried. What if Lumin was being taken advantage of by this old fogey? Since there hadn’t been any definitive announcement from either side’s agency confirming the rumor, if he wanted to know the answer, he’d have to ask Lumin directly, but for some reason, Taesup couldn’t bring himself to contact him right away. What would he do if the rumor turned out to be true? And surely it wasn’t true?
ST: Hello, hope you enjoyed the beginning of the story! It’s one of my favs I’ve read recently. I love how pathetic Taesup Ahjussi is lol. Next chapter will be posted in a few days.
CHAPTER 1.1
CHAPTER 1.2
CHAPTER 2.1
CHAPTER 2.2
CHAPTER 3.0
CHAPTER 4.1
CHAPTER 4.2
CHAPTER 4.3
EPILOGUE
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