At this rate, before Lee Kangjoo and I even build up any kind of comradeship, he might get fed up with other people’s flirting and lose interest altogether. I quickly pulled off the black baseball cap I was wearing and plopped it straight onto Lee Kangjoo’s head. I smiled sheepishly as I met his gaze — he was staring at me like I’d lost my mind.

“The sun’s strong. I brought something else for myself.”

In truth, I just wanted to block him from other people’s eyes. After smoothly tossing out the excuse, I put on the other cap I’d brought just in case and pulled it down snugly. Thankfully, Lee Kangjoo didn’t object.

The air brushing my nose was chilly, but it was perfect weather for hiking. The sky was clear, not even a trace of fine dust. When I filled my lungs and inhaled deeply, it felt like everything down to my solar plexus opened up.

At the beginning especially, the path was gentle enough to walk and talk comfortably. I kept sneaking glances at Lee Kangjoo, trying to figure out how to start a conversation. It wasn’t easy. His expression was as indifferent as ever. Just looking at his face, it was impossible to tell whether he was in a good mood, a bad one, or simply bored.

“Have you hiked a lot?”

“No.”

“So this is your first time?”

“Not exactly. Other than when I’ve had to bury something, I haven’t really come to the mountains. It’s been a while since I’ve hiked.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Joking.”

The corner of his mouth curved up faintly. Maybe because I’d seen him beat someone before, it didn’t feel entirely like a joke. I shook my head, my face going pale.

“When you joke, it doesn’t feel like a joke.”

“Half of it’s true.”

“Seriously?”

“That’s a joke too.”

He grinned mischievously as my complexion shifted from pale to practically bluish. He seemed to be enjoying teasing me. My ears burned instantly at the sight of that smile, and I whipped my head around and marched up the trail. My steps were surprisingly energetic.

But only for a moment.

“Haah... haa...”

Soon enough, I was gasping for air.

No Eunjae was a liar. The mountain he said was fine for beginners only looked easy at the entrance. The higher we climbed, the steeper it got. The path narrowed, and there weren’t even railings to hold onto, so every step had to be careful.

Since I grew up in a hillside slum, steep hills were nothing different from my front yard. I’d thought this would be a piece of cake. I was wrong. After going up and down a few sharp inclines, my breathing turned ragged, and every step made it feel like my thighs were about to cramp.

“Ah—!”

My foot caught on a jutting stone, and I pitched forward. If Lee Kangjoo hadn’t grabbed me instantly, I might’ve rolled all the way down the path we’d just climbed like a damn rock.

Goosebumps and cold sweat broke out over my whole body. Shivering, I instinctively clung to his arm. I held on for a long moment before realizing he was staring at me. I quickly let go — and nearly lost my balance again. This time I grabbed onto a tree trunk beside me to save my life.

I was causing a scene all by myself. Embarrassed, I forced the corners of my mouth up and spoke brightly.

“The path’s rougher than I expected. They said it was an easy mountain.”

“If it’s hard, we can go back down now.”

“No! We’ve already come this far. We have to go all the way. I want to reach the top. Let’s go!”

I was the one who suggested this in the first place. I couldn’t show weakness and give up here. I forced strength into my aching legs and sprang up, taking the lead again. But the trail ahead rose like a wall, and my breath caught. I marched forward bravely, but the remaining path still stretched endlessly, the dirt slope brutally steep.

I don’t even know how many times I slipped before reaching the summit. Every single time, Lee Kangjoo helped me. In the end, I ground my teeth and climbed up through sheer stubbornness and grit.

“Haah.”

I bent over with my hands on my knees, dragging in air. Even though it was cold, sweat poured out and black strands of hair stuck to my forehead. Heat radiated off me, so I’d long since rolled up my sleeves and stuffed my hat into my bag.

Meanwhile, Lee Kangjoo looked as if he’d just taken a casual stroll. Unlike me — soaked in sweat, hair a mess — he didn’t even look damp. He still had the cap on. How could two people be so different? I resented my pathetic stamina.

After catching my breath with difficulty, I finally lifted my head.

“Wow.”

The word slipped out on its own. I hurried to the edge. The climb had squeezed the life out of me, but the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) wide-open view spread out below erased all that hardship in an instant.

“Wow...”

Leaning my arms on the railing, I kept exclaiming. I’d never understood people who chose suffering on purpose, but now that I’d reached the top, I could see the appeal. The sense of achievement and the release from seeing such an open landscape were strangely addictive.

“I didn’t think it’d be this amazing.”

Lee Kangjoo stepped up beside me. He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked out at the same view. I tore my eyes away from the scenery and stole a glance at him instead. I hoped this hike had pleased him.

“A friend recommended this place. It’s nice.”

“Your friend Yohan?”

“No. Another friend. The junior I mentioned before.”

“When you worked at Lucid?”

Keeping my eyes on the scenery, I answered energetically, “Yeah.”

It might be too tough to make into a regular hobby, but walking this path together and reaching the summit side by side felt like a memory worth keeping. I should thank No Eunjae later.

“You’ve been talking about that friend a lot lately.”

“Huh? Have I?”

Since I’d been running into No Eunjae often lately, maybe I’d been babbling about him without realizing. It’s true he can be a bit annoying, but we’ve gotten closer recently.

Under Lee Kangjoo’s steady gaze, heat crept under my eyes. I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. I wasn’t some kid making his first friend, and I was old enough to know better, but it felt like I’d been showing it all over my face.

Truthfully, aside from Yohan, I didn’t have anyone close. The friends I hung out with in high school had gone to the army or gotten swallowed by reality, and we lost touch. Maybe that’s why I was so excited to have someone I could call a friend again.

“Maybe it’s because he lives next door. We see each other a lot.”

“Are you close?”

“Not that close... but he’s really sociable. Last time he tried to introduce me to his friends. You don’t know how hard it was to stop him. He’d probably cling to you too, President. He’s like a damn... no, like a puppy.”

He kept grabbing my arm and begging me to go out drinking. I postponed it, but when that didn’t work, I had to scold him sharply. Only then did he droop his ears and tail and back off. Remembering that made me snort softly.

“You like him.”

Lee Kangjoo tossed out the comment casually while staring at me.

I touched my face. I must’ve been grinning like an idiot because the corners of my mouth were pulled high. I forced them down and shook my head.

“No, it’s not that. I’m just in a good mood because I reached the summit with you, President...”

Lee Kangjoo lowered his head and leaned close to my ear. His lips hovered near my ear, almost touching. The brush of his breath sent shivers down my neck.

“If someone saw us, they’d think that friend was your client. Not me.”

“Huh? No! Eunjae— I mean, No Eunjae is just a younger acquaintance. It’s absolutely not like that!”

I practically jumped as I denied it. I placed my hand over the left side of my chest and looked at him solemnly, determined to prove my purity.

“There’s no one but you, President.”

I wanted him to know. Of all the clients I’d ever had, I’d never poured in this much effort for anyone like I did for him. And I probably never would again.

I had put in effort for Han Yeonghwa too, though her face was already blurry in my memory — but it wasn’t like this. If I could, I wanted to stay by Lee Kangjoo’s side far longer than the three months he’d proposed.

“Really.”

As I turned the thought over, a sudden sense of injustice welled up.

Not once had I looked at anyone else since meeting Lee Kangjoo. It wasn’t like there’d been no temptation. Yohan had asked about a rich madam in Jeju, and someone even suggested a divorced man in his fifties.

But I’d refused them all. Even knowing how big the crumbs falling my way could be. At least in front of him, I could claim I was clean.

“Good.” 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lee Kangjoo praised me and stroked my head with his large hand. It was a generous, solid hand.

“I mean it...”

I muttered stubbornly. My lips jutted out without me realizing, but I didn’t continue.

He’d said from the start that he didn’t trust people. He’d probably see my sincerity as nothing more than a male prostitute struggling to keep his client.

And yet the hand stroking my hair was warm and gentle, as if it would believe anything I said. I bit down on my lip and touched the place his hand had been. Maybe the climb had heated me up too much — the warmth wouldn’t fade.