Absinthe

Chapter 63: He Who Shan't Be Named

"Still haven't decided?" Minsu-hyung asked, expertly placing the set of weights he was lifting back to its

stand, and in the process, showing off his beautiful guns.

I shook my head in response. I don't really know why I said yes when he invited me to work out

together, but I guess I didn't really have a choice since I've been pigging out with Faye for quite some

time now.

"Need some help?"

This time, I nodded instead. Minsu-hyung proceeded to position himself right behind me, holding my

waist in place as I slowly lifted a barbell.

"Slow and steady," he coached as I bent lower.

I could feel Minsu-hyung's lean torso behind me as I straightened back up. I did a few more lifts until I

completed the whole set and hastily placed the barbell back to the floor, panting and out of breath.

I felt Minsu-hyung's hands massaging my shoulders in slow, circular motions. "Long time no gym? If

you don't take care of yourself, this here would start bulging out."

Minsu-hyung started tickling my belly with his left hand. His right hand was busy holding my two hands

which were thrashing around in protest.

"Look at mine," Minsu-hyung said, "still as hard."

He lifted his shirt and revealed porcelain smooth skin shaped in symmetrical squares in diminishing

size as they narrow down towards his manhood.

I looked around and was not surprised that everyone in the gym that morning had their eyes on us –

businessmen and executives in varying stages of oldness.

"Hyung!" I protested. "You may want to be careful doing these things around me. I'm gay, remember?"

I decided to call it a day, grabbed my towel and water bottle, and headed towards the direction of the

shower rooms.

"Hey, wait up." I heard Minsu-hyung calling out in Korean. "Let's shower together just like how we did

back then!"

Unfortunately, Minsu-hyung uttered his next sentence in English. And as expected, everyone in the

gym had their eyes wide as saucers.

Back when I was living in Korea, I did my possible best to avoid going to public baths, saunas, and

swimming pools with any of my friends. I couldn't possibly just be casually naked with them, right? Not

when all of my friends are hot and basically my type.

Don't judge me now... I don't intentionally befriend people I'm physically attracted to! It just happened

that the guys I became friends with tend to have the very physical features I look for in men.

As bad as my luck could be, this hotel uses a very Korean shower room – no dividers whatsoever! I'm

assuming this is the reason why the hotel gym is populated with guys who just keep my gaydar ringing!

I decided to be a grown-up and just deal with the situation, undressed myself, and went straight to the

farthest showerhead. I was just about to shampoo when I felt Minsu-hyung's bare skin on my back.

"Come on, let me scrub your back for you," he asked. "For old time's sake?"

I shook my head violently. "I just had my back scrubbed yesterday. You won't get anything off of it."

"Whoa, you allow other people to scrub your back now? I spent years trying to get you to agree and we

did it once! Just once!"

The guys at the gym earlier started coming in now, and they could see clearly how six-foot-three,

porcelain-skinned, and sculpted Minsu-hyung is trying to share that tiny space under the showerhead

with me.

"It was at the skin care clinic!" I protested. "I don't take showers with other people, remember?"

Minsu-hyung grabbed the small shampoo bottle from my hand and proceeded to squeeze a generous

amount onto his palm. He then lathered it in gentle strokes on my scalp.

To be honest with you, nothing in this whole wide world beats Hyung-Dongsaeng relationships in

Korea, especially if you form really close bonds with them. Dongsaengs, or the younger ones, like

myself, get to enjoy pampering to a whole new level from the hyungs.

"Feels good?" Minsu-hyung asked.

I nodded in response. "Where's Gunho-hyung anyway?"

"Wasted," Minsu-hyung responded curtly.

"And you're not?" Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

"You're familiar with how all these work, right? One of us had to stay sober for potential issue that may

come up."

"Oh yeah," I said, my brain suddenly flooding with memories. "I forgot."

"You used to be always drunk because all of our clients like drinking with you."

"You mean they liked drinking with the pretend-straight version of me," I answered softly.

Minsu-hyung stopped massaging my head and reached for the shower gel. He then proceeded to

lather my shoulders and my back.

"How can you still do this?" I asked, eyes fixed on the tiled wall of the shower room. "You already found

out that I'm gay and you're still okay with all this? Aren't you scared that I'll take advantage of you?"

Minsu-hyung did not speak and continued to work his hands downwards to my hips.

I turned around and faced Minsu-hyung – my ultimate crush back at Samsong. He's like the cleaner

and more sophisticated version of Jiwoo. His skin is exactly the same as how those K-Pop idols look

like – dewy and smooth and porcelain-like without a hint of pores.

He's also graduated with honors at Wharton. His English accent is absolutely gorgeous, knowledge in

emerging markets second-to-none, and his lean, athletic body and his sizable assets down under are

all more than enough to make any girl or gay guy swoon.

And I admit I have fallen ridiculously in lust with Minsu-hyung at first, but since he befriended me and I

got nothing but straight-guy vibes through and through, I learned to stop myself from developing

feelings for him.

"I'm staring at you now," I said sheepishly. "Aren't you going to cover yourself? I mean, a gay guy is

practically feasting at the sight of your manhood."

Minsu-hyung smiled. "Are you attracted to me?"

"Maybe?" I teased.

"Will you be more sure if I do this?" Minsu-hyung closed the gap between us and placed my hand on

his left chest.

I'm quite sure I turned red as I immediately took my hand away and fixed my stare on the bathroom

floor.

"Just because you're gay doesn't mean you're automatically attracted to anyone with a dick," Minsu-

hyung said nonchalantly. "I have standards when it comes to people I'd date or fuck. I'm sure you have

them, too. Heck, I'm pretty sure every person in the planet has his or her own standard as to what's

attractive for them."

I continued staring at the tiled bathroom floor.

"So why should I be weird around you?" Minsu-hyung asked. "And if you're really attracted to me, then

I should be happy. That's like a huge ego boost, you know."

Minsu-hyung lifted my chin up and forced me to meet his gaze.

"Take advantage of me?" he asked. "Jaeyi, you're too decent for that."

"Uhm," a burly man in his mid fifties came up to us. "I like the way you guys flirt with each other."

"Excuse me?" Minsu-hyung asked, his voice flat and void of emotion.

"Would you be interested in doing something interesting upstairs? My suite has a great view."

I looked up to the man and then to Minsu-hyung's face whose eyebrows were dangerously high they

were threatening to disappear up his hairline.

"Don't worry, you'll be well compensated," the man continued. "That's what you guys are here for, right?

To get bookings from businessmen like myself?"

The man brushed up his wet hair and I felt like I know him from somewhere.

"I was just talking to my friend here about decency." Minsu-hyung said in his confident, business-

presentation voice. "Something that you seem to lack."

Minsu-hyung was smiling and his eyes...

"Are you saying that you're not call boys?" the man asked, smiling as well.

Both men were smiling but I swear there was nothing friendly in the air around the three of us.

"Because you certainly look like one," the elderly man finished.

"Oh yeah?" Minsu-hyung asked back. "I'll take that as a compliment. At least I don't have to resort to

using money just to go and get myself a nice, slow fuck."

Minsu-hyung slowly and sensuously slid his hand from his chest down to his manhood.

"How dare you!" the man retorted, losing his cool. "You don't know who I am! I can destroy your

business here in the Philippines!"

And then it hit me.

"Holy shit! You're the president of the Development Bank of Asia! You interviewed me last

March!"