Into The Thrill

Haewon looked at the mail on the living room table and discovered that the man who had given him a spare room was named Lee Jinyeong. Lee Jinyeong worked as an employee for a large corporation, specifically in the international sales department at Samjeong Trading.
He couldn't practice in his apartment. Lacking the funds to rent a practice room, Haewon practiced in a cramped room that his classmates had found by pooling their money. His professor, who was supposed to give him lessons, was overseas attending a seminar. Without him, Haewon couldn't reserve a practice room at school.

His classmates, who weren’t very close to him, began ignoring his messages because they didn’t like the idea of Haewon taking up a practice room. Haewon searched for places where he could practice despite the noise. He even played his violin in a karaoke room. Through the glass, he saw people walking by and talking. Judging by their lip movements, they seemed to be calling him a lunatic.
Faced with the inability to practice, Haewon unexpectedly discovered a new obsession with the violin he hadn’t noticed before.
Lee Jinyeong treated Haewon well, but as he treated him better, he started to ask for more. Sleeping with a man wasn’t a big deal for Haewon, but sleeping with someone like him was another matter. It couldn't be a simple or comfortable relationship.

He considered meeting Haewon in front of the hotel that day as fate. Haewon didn’t believe it was fate, and didn’t want anything that grand. It seemed Lee Jinyeong thought Haewon was naive because he was uncomfortable with anything beyond a kiss. No matter what Lee Jinyeong thought of him, Haewon didn’t care.
He gave Haewon expensive clothes as gifts. His luggage was already full, with two suitcases, but the clothes he brought would make it three.
That day, he presented Haewon with an extremely expensive watch, something that would make anyone’s eyes pop, given his salary as a junior manager in a big corporation’s international sales team. No matter how high his salary was, it was nothing compared to the wealth Haewon had enjoyed from his father for a long time. The watch was more than what Haewon knew to be Lee Jinyeong's annual salary.

Haewon felt a sense of urgency when he saw the watch. Even if he had to sleep on the subway steps clutching his violin, he felt like he needed to leave this apartment. He refused the gift.
“I can’t accept something like this.”
“Huh? Why? It would look great on you. With your pale skin and your eye color.”

As he was putting the watch on Haewon’s wrist, Lee Jinyeong looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected such an answer.
“It’s too expensive. Take it back and get a refund.”
“No, it’s not expensive. I’m giving it to you because I want to. Don’t feel burdened.”

“I don’t need it. I’m not without a watch.”
Haewon took the watch off his wrist and put it in its heavy crystal case, returning it to Lee Jinyeong. He took the crystal case and, with a gloomy expression, said,
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel burdened. I thought it would really suit you, but it wasn’t meant with any other intention.”

“Expensive gifts aren’t something you give to just anyone. This isn’t a wedding present.”
“…….”
It was almost as if he had just implied that it was a wedding gift, and he fell silent.

After placing the case on the table, Lee Jinyeong approached Haewon. He pulled Haewon into an embrace while Haewon sat on the couch. Haewon sighed softly and allowed him to embrace him. Lee Jinyeong’s lips touched the back of Haewon’s neck. He gently nuzzled, inhaling Haewon’s scent.
“It’s almost Christmas.”
It had come so quickly. Surely, the watch wasn’t a Christmas gift.
Haewon glanced ominously at Lee Jinyeong’s hand, which was touching him. Lee Jinyeong, who had brought a stranger into his home and presented him with a watch more expensive than his salary as a Christmas gift, was out of his mind. And Haewon, who was living as a guest in a stranger’s house, wasn’t in his right mind either.

“I’m sorry. I’ll pay for some of the living expenses.”
“What?”
“I’ll pay my share. It’s rude to keep eating and sleeping here for free.”

“What are you talking about?”
Lee Jinyeong hugged Haewon tighter, as if genuinely hurt. His arms tightened around Haewon’s waist. The strength in his arms, which supposedly came from his Brazilian jiu-jitsu training, was strong enough to break a log if he were hugging it.
“Ah...! It hurts.”

“I’m sorry. I was just messing around.”
He loosened his grip and smiled mischievously. Lee Jinyeong took Haewon’s hand, placing Haewon’s hand on top of his own, as if admiring it. Compared to his rough, thick fingers, Haewon’s fingers, which were shaped for violin playing, seemed completely different, like they belonged to another race entirely—different in color, texture, and length.
“Your fingers are so long. Is it because you play the violin?”

“Maybe. I’ve been playing since I was little.”
“I’ve never heard you play. I’d like to hear it.”
Even though he didn’t really want to hear it, even though he didn’t know how to appreciate it, even though he hadn’t created an environment where Haewon could properly play music, Lee Jinyeong was still saying these things that sounded pleasant to hear. It irritated Haewon. He was irritated by him, by the classmates who kicked him out of the practice room, by his father who didn’t give him money, and by his stepmother who was nudging his father not to give him any money. Everything made Haewon want to scream. He pulled his arm away from Lee Jinyeong’s grasp, shoved him aside, and stood up.

“Where are you going?”
“I have to go to my part-time job.”
“I’ll give you allowance. Why go through all that trouble?”

“…….”
He didn’t know about Haewon’s expensive tastes, spending millions of won at the hotel, or how much his violin cost, but here he was, trying to act superior by offering a few hundred thousand won as allowance. Haewon thought it would be better to call Kim Jaemin in the U.S.
He hadn’t thought of it before. If he told Kim Jaemin to come, he would be on the next plane to Korea. He’d even book a suite on the 40th floor of a hotel, the only two suites available.

Haewon had this thought, and he entered the room that Lee Jinyeong had given him. He started packing his things. Lee Jinyeong had followed him into the room and, silently watching Haewon pack, suddenly asked a foolish question.
“Where are you going? Why are you packing?”
“I think I’ve been burdening you too much. I need to leave.”

“Where to? You have no place to go, right? You left your house.”
“Well, I can go anywhere. Thanks for everything.”
Haewon opened his suitcase and started shoving his things into it. He packed the items from the desk and the bed. There was too much stuff now. Most of it had come from him, especially the things he had given Haewon. Haewon didn’t touch any of the gifts he had given him.

“Haewon, is it because of the watch? Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“It’s not that. It’s just... I don’t have a proper place to practice... and I feel like I’m burdening you too much. That’s all.”
“Haewon, please wait. Don’t do this. Did I make you angry?”

He wasn’t angry. It was just the way things had turned out. He had suddenly thought about how Kim Jaemin had left his officetel in a mess before going to the U.S.
As Haewon hurriedly packed, Lee Jinyeong grabbed his arm and spun him around. It was sudden, forceful strength. Haewon’s arm was caught by him as he turned.
“It hurts.”

He didn’t let go of his wrist. It was the hand he used to play the violin. He couldn’t afford to hurt it. He always wore gloves in winter. He couldn’t risk injuring his hands. Haewon didn’t drive. He only took taxis. He didn’t want to risk a car accident. He couldn’t risk hurting his hands.
When Lee Jinyeong twisted Haewon’s wrist hard, Haewon realized just how carefully he had treated his hands. It was something he had never consciously thought about before, but in that moment, facing the possibility of injury, it made Haewon’s heart sink.
"You're suddenly doing this?"

"I told you it hurts. My hand, it hurts."
"Stay calm and listen to me for a second. The watch I gifted you... it's almost Christmas, and I wanted to do something nice for our anniversary. I thought about it a lot before choosing it. I didn't mean to make you feel pressured."
Lee Jinyoung blurted out his thoughts incoherently. Whatever he said didn't matter to Haewon, who was only concerned about the grip on his hand.

"Let go of my hand."
"Haewon."
"Let go. If you hold it that stupidly, it'll break."

It was a genuinely ignorant force. It felt like his wrist might snap. That was the kind of pressure Lee Jinyoung was applying. As if Haewon might suddenly disappear or run away, he was forcibly holding him down.
"Haewon, what I meant was—"
"Let go of my hand, then talk."

"If I let go, you’ll run away."
"I won't run. But if anything happens to even a single hair on my hand, I won't stay quiet."
He released his grip. The wrist, forcefully clenched, had turned red. Haewon glanced down at his reddened wrist and turned back to pack his things. As he was zipping up his suitcase, Lee Jinyoung grabbed his wrist again, yanking him up and throwing him to the floor. Haewon fell and looked up at him, his eyes wobbly as they focused on Haewon, whom he had just thrown down.

"This can't happen. I can't let you go."
"Who are you to decide whether I stay or go?"
Lee Jinyoung grabbed Haewon by the collar and lifted him. His body was suspended in the air. Lee Jinyoung then slammed Haewon onto the bed. Haewon quickly got up from the bed, dodging him and fleeing the room.

He only managed to grab his violin. As Haewon was escaping through the hallway, Lee Jinyoung grabbed him around the waist.
Haewon and his violin tumbled to the floor together. He fell on his back, and a severe pain surged through him. A coughing fit ensued. It was a pain Haewon had never experienced before.
As he struggled with the pain and coughing, Lee Jinyoung approached, his grip on Haewon's wrist threatening to break it. It was deliberate. He kept messing with his hands and wrists.

Sitting down, Lee Jinyoung quickly climbed onto Haewon, his heavy weight pressing down. His hands tore at Haewon's clothes, ripping off the buttons. He kept trying to clutch his hands, aiming to break them. He knew that if Haewon's hands were broken, he couldn’t do anything. Without his hands, he was nothing.
"Don't! Don't touch me!"
Haewon screamed. Lee Jinyoung firmly gripped Haewon's right wrist, immobilizing it, and with his other hand, he targeted a finger, trying to bend it backward.

"Stop it!"
Haewon thrashed around, but couldn't escape. He threw anything he could grab at him - a remote control, mail, a bundle of newspapers - hitting Lee Jinyoung’s face and falling to the floor, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.
Lee Jinyoung tried to break Haewon’s middle finger. Haewon grasped a heavy, square crystal case from the table – it was a case for a watch more expensive than a year's salary for Lee Jinyoung. He used it to stab at Lee Jinyoung’s eyes.

Blood spurted from Lee Jinyoung's eyes. He screamed and writhed in pain. Haewon's long fingers trembled as they gripped the shimmering crystal, dripping with red blood.
∞ ∞ ∞
Haewon didn't know whom to contact. He couldn’t contact anyone – not his father, definitely not his stepmother, and not Senior Choi, who was likely scheming to take advantage of Haewon's vulnerability. Moreover, being an utterly ordinary individual, Kim Jaemin would be unable to handle the situation Haewon was in.

Kim Jaemin would come if contacted, but it would take a full day to travel from the U.S., and Haewon couldn’t be certain he would come upon being contacted. Haewon remembered how he had dumped him.
Fortunately, he had managed to keep his violin. Haewon was locked in a holding cell, and his violin was outside. Dazedly staring at the violin case, he remembered stuffing Hyun Woojin's business card into the front pocket of the case out of convenience. He asked the on-duty police officer to retrieve the business card from the case's front pocket. Luckily, Hyun Woojin's business card was there.
He contacted him. It took a while for Hyun Woojin to recognize Haewon and recall who he was after hearing his voice.

The late-night call was met with a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) perplexed voice since it was past midnight. After Haewon stutteringly explained his situation, Hyun Woojin hung up saying he understood.
How much longer did he sit there?
The police officer opened the cell door and told him to come out. Outside, Hyun Woojin was waiting. He was dressed in a shirt without a tie. He usually wore a hair style that exposed his forehead with a dressy suit, but now his hair covered his forehead, yet Haewon's perception of him remained unchanged.

He looked tall and respectable, but knowing his secretive dealings, Haewon could feel an underlying disquiet hidden beneath his impressive exterior.
His clothes were torn, and it was unclear whether he had put them on or taken them off, as the buttons were misaligned. His gaze thoroughly scanned Haewon, who was smeared with blood in places.
"Are you okay?"

He took off his jacket and draped it over Haewon's shoulders. A fresh scent emanated from it. Haewon clasped the front of the jacket and nodded as if to affirm that calling him had been a very wise choice. Hyun Woojin patted Haewon's shoulder reassuringly.
They entered the interrogation room as guided by the police. Sitting in the stark room with only a table and two chairs, Haewon stared blankly at the clock on the wall.
It was two in the morning. The door opened not with a police officer but Hyun Woojin entering. He held a cup of coffee in one hand. He placed the steaming hot coffee in front of Haewon. In his other hand, he held a file of documents.

"Drink some coffee. It's a bit cold in here."
"......"
He sat down across Haewon, unfolding the file. He flipped through it casually and then asked nonchalantly.

"Attempted rape?"
"......"
A man asking another man if he had been nearly raped by another man, and the humiliation felt profound. Haewon didn't respond, and Hyun Woojin asked with an emotionally detached face.

"So, he tried to rape Mr. Moon Haewon?"
Instead of empathizing with the victim, he stepped back and viewed the situation as if dealing with an object, very clinically and objectively. Haewon nodded slightly in response.
"So, were you raped?"

"No."
"Before that, did you stab his eyes with a square piece of glass? It says here it was a watch case?"
He checked the documents again.

"Yes."
"Aren't you curious about how he's doing?"
His tone implied incredulity that Haewon had stabbed someone's eyes with such a gruesome object and wasn’t even curious about the aftermath. Lee Jinyoung had tried to damage his hand. Such a person deserved to die, or at the very least, going blind was a fitting punishment.

Blood had gushed from his eyes, some of it even splattering on Haewon. It was evident that Lee Jinyoung would be blinded, given the circumstances at the time. There was no need to ask; even a fool could guess what had happened to Lee Jinyoung’s eyes.
Haewon’s fingers tightened around the watch case, his knuckles whitening with the grip as he stabbed at Lee Jinyoung’s eyes. Uninterested in knowing more, Hyun Woojin kindly explained Lee Jinyoung’s condition to an uninterested Haewon.