Burnout Syndrome : 14. RAIN CEILING

14. RAIN CEILING

A large canvas frame was carried with difficulty to room number 69.

Jira leaned it against the wall and then began to sketch lines with a pencil that reflected Pheem’s body with determination. He created it from his imagination of when he had taken the other to the room, mixed with the young man’s postures and movements in the Rage Room. He wanted to try drawing something inspired by Pheem for once.

Not that he hadn’t tried, but he had tried all the time. But this time it seemed to get closer and closer to expectations.

Pheem in a new perspective was different from what he had seen before. Of course, he created surprise at first, but left an impression in the second half.

The other was a charming, flirtatious young man, difficult to catch, who appeared gentle and fluid with the people around him. However, in reality he had a hidden hard side, which was what Jira was looking for. Seeing all sides of the other, good or bad, could be the main reason for their relationship to progress.

The fair face looked at the pencil-sketched frame before taking a brush, dipping it in acrylic paint, and smearing it on the paper. The figure of the young man’s bare torso formed with fluid and soft lines. He looked at the image in front of him and thought before deciding to add some feeling to the painting.

Thinking that the painting process would be a bit messy, he decided to lean the frame against the bathroom wall. As he prepared to put effort into the painting, his ears caught the vibration sound of the mobile phone signaling an incoming call. Jira returned to the bed.
Seeing that it was Ko, although he didn’t want to answer, he had to. “What’s up?”
“I can’t sleep again. Come to my room.”

“I’m not going. What time is it? You’re so capricious.” “Then I’ll come.”
“Don’t come. I’m drawing. Even if you come, I won’t let you upstairs.” Jira threw the phone and returned to the bathroom.
He stepped back to see the overall image of the frame. After evaluating for a moment, he began to create the work by painting. But it wasn’t a soft posture like before, but an aggressive one similar to Pheem in the Rage Room. He dipped the brush in paint and struck it against the image. The acrylic paint spread, dirtying the floor and the clothes he was wearing.

Jira was not satisfied. His thin hand dipped the brush in another color in the bucket while his face kept staring at the image without blinking. Finally, at the last moment, he struck the

paint with all his strength on the paper, turning it into a work of art clearly different from the previous ones.

The small body smiled widely. He was satisfied with the result.

And this proved once again that between him and Pheem it was possible.

…

The sound of the mobile phone vibrating rang for the third time. Jira had just finished showering. He left the bathroom drying his hair with an extremely irritated mood. Seeing that the call was from Ko, he got even more irritated, which made him shout with a hoarse voice when answering.

“What now? I told you I’m not going.” “I’m downstairs. Come down to get me.” “Huh?”
“Come down to get me now.”

“I’m not in the room.” He lied, trying to find a way to escape, but the other anticipated it as if he knew.

“Don’t lie. The light in your room is still on.”

Jira held the call and crouched stealthily to the edge of the balcony. Then he peeked down to see below. He didn’t expect his action to be discovered.

“I can still see you. Stop playing hard to get and come get me. If not, I’ll come up myself.” “I’m really not in the room. I’m going to hang up.”
After hanging up, he quickly peeked over the balcony again and saw that Ko was entering the room for real. So he quickly grabbed clothes and basketball pants, and ran into the hallway without thinking twice.

Jira chose to go down the emergency stairs instead of the elevator for fear of running into the other face-to-face. But after going down a few steps, he heard the sound of someone’s footsteps. Looking down, he saw Ko looking up just in time.

“I knew you’d escape this way.” The deep voice sounded cheerfully.

“This is bordering on harassment, you know? Right now there’s no business matter, right? When there is, I’ll come on my own.”

“Your work is unpredictable. Today there is something, so stop running.”

At this point, listening further was useless. For fear of being caught, Jira ran back the way he came, heading quickly to the elevator. He waited until the doors opened.

Ko arrived right at the staircase turn at that same moment. He hurried to catch up, but Jira was faster: he entered the elevator and pressed the close button. Ko was only a second away from reaching him.

The young man gritted his teeth in frustration, then turned on his heels and ran up the emergency stairs to follow him.

Jira ran out of the building. While running, he was chatting with a driver through the app. Shortly after, a motorcycle stopped in front of him. Jira quickly got on and begged in a desperate voice:

“Quick, let’s go now!”

The motorcycle took off just as Ko reached street level. Without wasting time, he unlocked his car and chased after them.

It seemed that his life was not exciting enough, so now he was playing cat and mouse. But as long as he had strength, Ko thought he could still follow.

…

Jira calmly walked into a crowded nightclub full of people out to enjoy the night. He moved between tables looking for a free one, moving smoothly to the rhythm of the music playing in the background. It didn’t take long before the ringtone of his phone broke the entire atmosphere.

Jira sighed, pressed to answer with the intention of challenging the other, knowing that Ko wouldn’t have the courage to enter such a crowded place. He kept dancing while bringing the phone to his ear.

“Go out. Let’s talk seriously for once.”

“Go out for what? If you want to follow me so much, come in yourself. If you dare.” “What do you want? Look, if you come out now, I’ll give you more money.”
“It’s not just with money that you’re going to make me do whatever you want, Ko.” “Then I’ll wait outside.”
“Well, wait. The place closes at four in the morning. But if you don’t want to wait, come in if you dare.”

Having said that, he hung up. He put the phone in his pants pocket and continued dancing to the music’s rhythm.

Ko parked the car on the curb, at a safe distance from the club. He observed the crowd pressing at the entrance. He took the inhaler Jira had left in the car and inhaled once. Then he put on sunglasses.

He took a deep breath and decided to get out of the car to enter the club.

The bar’s atmosphere at that hour was lively. People were singing and enthusiastically following the musical group on stage. Jira was standing next to a tall table.

Lately, he had become so excited about conversations about music with his team that he even saved files on his storage drive. Upon learning that in Bangkok there was a bar decorated with a 2000s aesthetic, and that they also played music from that era, he felt even more connected. So, in the middle of his escape from the dorm, he thought of that place as his first choice.

He was swaying to the rhythm of a slow ballad: “Can I choose?” by ZAZA. Just as he was completely immersed in the song, his gaze accidentally crossed with someone making his way through the crowd with a bad expression, inhaler in hand, trying to stay upright.

“Shit…!” Jira cursed seeing the scene.

Ko was pushed by someone inside the club. His tall body lost balance and, unintentionally, dropped the inhaler to the ground.

Jira, seeing that disaster was approaching, tried to push through the crowd to escape. But when fate wants to catch you, there is no escape. Suddenly, he found himself cornered in a corner of the club, unable to move.

“Completely screwed…”

For his part, Ko did not give up. He pushed people aside to get closer to his target. He quickly reached him, leaning on a table to steady himself. Jira, still confused by the scene in front of him, froze for a few seconds before regaining composure and asking incredulously:

“Weren’t you afraid of people?”

The young man responded with a totally uncomfortable expression. He swallowed hard, his hands trembling nonstop.

“And when did I say I wasn’t scared?” “But you came.”
“You didn’t want to go to my room quietly. Now you’ll see.”

Ko grabbed his wrist, trying to drag him out of the club. But Jira resisted, planting himself firmly.

“Go? No way! Don’t you see I’m into the music?” “I can’t stay here long…”
Ko’s face began to pale, as if all the blood had disappeared from his face. “Well, go. Why are you staying?”

The smaller boy shook off his grip with a sudden movement. He turned to focus back on the band on stage, just as the singer began the last song with a clear voice into the microphone.

“I want to listen to those who cannot choose!”

The shout of the singer made the whole place erupt in cheers. At the same time, the chorus of the song “Can I choose?” by the group ZAZA began.

People sang in unison, completely swept up in the emotion of the moment. Even Jira joined them.
“And can I choose something? Choose for you not to leave, maybe?”

The small face turned toward the tall boy, then leaned in toward him to shout the lyrics of the song directly into his ear, with a mischievous smile.

“If I don’t let you go, would you follow what I want or what you want?” Jira enjoyed bothering him.
Ko, for his part, was completely bewildered by the situation.

He looked around in confusion, more and more uncomfortable. Until he couldn’t take it anymore and had to lean on Jira’s shoulder to stay upright. But Jira didn’t pay attention to him; he kept his gaze fixed on the stage.

“I want to choose that you choose not to leave with him, can I? What you ask-how do you answer it? If you don’t even give me the option to choose…”

When Jira looked back, he was startled to see Ko’s pale face, so close that he could distinguish the faint reddish tint on his skin.

It seemed that his condition was more serious than he thought.

The young man was breathing with difficulty, increasingly agitated. Concerned, Jira couldn’t help asking:

“What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you feeling the music?” Ko didn’t respond.
He stood there, swaying for a few seconds.

And then, his tall, thin body collapsed to the floor, causing panic in Jira and in everyone present.

“Hey, hey, hey!!”

The scene in front of the young man blurred before fading away along with the end of the song.

Jira fell to his knees, trying to wake Ko, but it was useless. Unable to support someone almost twice his size,
he had to ask the staff for help. A few minutes later, the bar guards pushed their way through the crowd, bringing an emergency stretcher.

Ko, unconscious, was taken out of the venue to help him breathe. Even so, he showed no signs of waking up.
“I’m going to call an ambulance,” one of the guards said.

“The condition doesn’t look good at all. Which is the closest hospital around here? Better I take him myself; we’ll get there faster,” Jira replied.

“Continue down the road, you’ll find it two kilometers ahead.” “Thanks, Phi.”
Jira slipped his hand into the pocket of Ko’s pants, searching for the car keys. When he found them, he pressed the unlock button.
Seeing the vehicle’s lights turn on, he urgently signaled the guard to push the stretcher to the Maserati, though with some difficulty.

“That one there, Phi.”

On the stretcher, Ko seemed to regain a bit of consciousness. He tried to open his eyes and speak with effort.
“No need… I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m fine.”

Even though his voice was so weak that Jira had to lean in to hear him, he managed to understand the essentials.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Your condition doesn’t look good at all.” “Please… help me sit up.
I just need to rest a little; I’ll be fine.”

Ko tried to get up on his own. Seeing that he couldn’t, Jira hurried to support him together with the guard.

They opened the passenger door and helped Ko settle inside. Ko closed his eyes.
Inside him, there was no worry left at all.

He only knew that as long as Jira was by his side, he would be fine. He would be safe…
…

He didn’t know how much time passed before his consciousness faded completely. The tall young man fell into a trance.
When he opened his eyes again, he was still sitting in the same seat of the car.

The bustle outside the venue had decreased; the night owls were leaving, and Jira was smoking a short distance away.

When Ko recovered almost all his lucidity, he sat up slowly and lowered the window to face Jira.

Seeing him, Jira put out the cigarette and took out a bottle of water he had bought. Ko received it, drank a little, and then poured the rest over his head.
“How are you? Do you feel better now?” “A little better… but still dizzy and dazed.”
Jira, the small-faced boy, kept an expressionless face, making it clear he was still annoyed.

“Then today you can go back alone, right? I’m leaving.” “Hey, wait!”
“What now?”

“Are you still upset about what happened with Pheem?”

“It’s not just about Pheem. It’s about how you play with people’s feelings. Does it amuse you that much?”
“At first it was fun…

but after that, it stopped being fun,” Ko answered in a lower voice, though his face showed seriousness, with no trace of mockery.
As he confessed, their eyes met by chance. “Since you left…
I haven’t been able to sleep a single night.”

“Even now… you still think only about yourself.”

“I know that very well. I only think about myself. That’s why I came to look for you. If I keep being alone like this… I’m going to collapse.”

“And why does it have to be me?!” cried Jira angrily. But the other remained calm, lowering his gaze sadly.
“If I had someone else, that would be great… but right now, I only have you.” Hearing that, the slender boy didn’t know what to do.
It felt like that phrase hit him straight on, leaving him completely defeated in front of the other.

Not knowing how to respond, he changed the subject. “So… can you go back alone?”
“I can’t. Will you take me?”

Hearing that sincere request, he softened and agreed to help one more time. “Alright… let’s go to the hotel.”
“Better go to my old house. It’s near here.” “Your old house?”
“I’ll guide you myself.”

Without giving room for doubt, Ko gestured for Jira to sit behind the wheel and take him to a place he had avoided returning to for years… It was already past two in the morning.

The luxury car slowly moved through the winding alleys of a residential neighborhood. On both sides of the road stood well-built houses.
It was an urban community that seemed inhabited by middle-class people of comfortable
means.

The car’s headlights illuminated the street, and soon a light rain began to fall, making the atmosphere inside the vehicle cold and damp.

The windshield wipers worked efficiently, but since Jira didn’t know the way well, he drove slowly, waiting for the taller one to indicate how to reach the destination.

“The weather isn’t helping at all,” murmured the small-faced boy.

The car turned and stopped in front of a house whose electric gate still functioned perfectly.

After turning off the engine, Jira’s large eyes scanned the surroundings through the glass. The streetlights and garden lamps nearby illuminated the place.
Although the house was dark inside, it didn’t look abandoned.

It wasn’t an old house, but it wasn’t modern either. In front, there was a large green lawn.

The house was designed in a Mid-Century Modern style: the ground floor had plastered walls painted white, while the upper part was covered in wood.

The roof, with a low slope, gave a sense of simplicity and warmth at the same time. “I’ve brought you. I’m leaving now,” said Jira.
“It’s raining. Stay here a while.”

“I’m ordering a car through the app. I won’t get too wet.” “It’s late. At this hour, there aren’t many drivers available.”
Ko opened the door and, without giving room for objection, added firmly: “Stay here. I’m going to get an umbrella.”
Before Jira could protest, he saw the tall boy run in the rain, open the house door with a key, and disappear inside. Soon after, he came out with an umbrella to fetch Jira, who was still waiting in the car.

“Come on, get in.”

Both walked under the same umbrella toward the interior of the house, shrouded in dimness. “Is this your house?”
“Hmm, this is the house where I grew up.”

The switch was flipped and the light illuminated the place, allowing Jira to observe more clearly everything around him.

Inside the house, hardly any belongings remained. It could be said it looked abandoned. The ground floor was open-concept, without closed rooms, but with clearly defined areas. The living room was marked by a single sofa, quite worn.
Jira touched it with a finger and dust rose, filling the air with its smell.

It seemed that the kitchen countertop was the only thing still in good condition, probably because it was built-in and couldn’t be moved.

The slender boy stopped in the middle of the room and turned to the taller one.

“Seems like you don’t come here much.” “Actually, this house was sold to someone else.
But when I had money, I got it back. I thought of renovating it or maybe tearing it down and building something new, to erase the memories of the past. Although I still don’t know exactly what to do,” Ko guided Jira through every corner.

“Help me think. Design something you’d like for living here with me.” “Are you inviting me to move in with you?”
“Yes. Would you like to?”

The young man probed the response with his gaze fixed on the pale face of the other, full of expectation.

Hearing the proposal, Jira looked at him directly before answering seriously:

“No. It’s already enough that you mistreat me at work. Now you also want us to live together? That would be too much.”

“I’m going to be good to you.”

“You’re a heartless selfish man. Who’s going to believe you?” “Maybe I can get better.”
Jira let out a laugh at what he heard, but Ko kept talking stubbornly.

“While you decide, tell me what I should change. I want ideas from an artist like you. Surely you’d do much better.”

“Don’t think about what I’d like.

Choose something that represents you first.”

“Do you remember I told you that as a kid I liked sleeping on piles of clothes? That was what made me happy. Do you want to see it?”

“We’ve reached that level?”

The tall boy walked up the stairs to the second floor. Just like the ground floor, everything was empty.
The smell of dust competed with the smell of humidity.

And with the rain falling, the atmosphere became even stranger, even more melancholy. Ko didn’t show any other areas, only stopped in front of the bedroom door.
When he opened it, a large six-foot bed in the center was revealed, immediately drawing attention.

Next to the window there was a desk, and on the other side, a walk-in closet connected to the bathroom.

It was the only room that looked alive. There were objects placed everywhere.
Even if they weren’t tidy, it was obvious someone used them.

“This is my room. I’ve come here a couple of nights, but I couldn’t fall asleep, so I didn’t return. Actually, it doesn’t matter where I sleep… I can’t sleep if you’re not there.”

Jira stuck his tongue out, pretending to gag.

He wasn’t interested in the other’s sweet words, because if someday Ko betrayed him, the pain would be even greater.

The slender boy walked around the room, until he noticed that there were leaks falling onto the bed.

When he touched other areas with his hand and looked up at the ceiling, a drop fell onto his cheek.

Jira wiped it away and turned to the owner of the house. “Your roof is leaking.”
The young man watched the smaller boy, who was focused on the water stains on the bed. Soon, his attention shifted toward the ceiling, where there were several seepages.
Then he bent down to look for something under the mattress, until he pulled out a canvas bag.

“What’s that?”

“Ah, it’s my camping set from when I was a kid.”

Ko wasted no time and started rummaging through his things.

Inside the bag there was a flashlight, ropes, a radio transmitter, and two raincoats: one his, and one his father’s, in different sizes.

“So you were a camping kid.” “Yeah, I used to go with my dad.”
He took out his old raincoat, but seeing it was too small, he threw it on the bed and grabbed the bigger one to put on.

“That one was your dad’s?” “Uh-huh.”
“Then the small one was yours.”

“You were small too once, weren’t you?” “That’s your past self. I’ll be right back.
If you want to help, look for something to put under the leaks meanwhile.” Everything happened so fast Jira didn’t have time to reply.
Ko ran quickly down the hallway toward the second floor window.

He opened it, making the sound of the rain grow louder. Then, carefully, he leaned out the window, protected by his raincoat.

Meanwhile, Jira focused on fixing the leak problem.

He looked around the room and discovered there were several seepages. Finally, his eyes settled on a plastic trash bin.
He grabbed it quickly, climbed onto the bed, and placed it on the mattress exactly where the water was falling.

When he lifted his gaze, he noticed more leaks. “Shit…”
Jira muttered, got off the bed, and ran off looking for more containers.

He went down to the first floor, but the kitchen had nothing useful, so he went back upstairs and headed straight to the bathroom at the far end of the bedroom.

Luckily, even though it was small, the bathroom was well equipped.

He took a cement basin from the bathtub area and a bucket from the sink, and placed them in the spots where the water continued to seep.

The sound of drops hitting the containers accompanied him as he stood there.

Noticing Ko still hadn’t returned, he went out to look for him. But there was no sign of the taller boy. Until he stopped in front of the open window.

Curiosity pushed him to approach. He leaned out and lifted his head. His pale face was soaked by the rain. He squinted and shouted upward:

“Are you up there, Ko?”

“I’m up here,” a voice responded amid sounds of movement.

From the noise, it seemed Ko was struggling, since the rain wouldn’t let up. “And what are you doing up there?”
“Fixing the roof.” “Huh? Right now?”

“Don’t talk so much, go back inside before you get wet.” “And when are you going to finish?”
“In a bit.”

The rain kept falling without mercy.

Ko, wearing his raincoat, tried to cover the roof with a transparent tarp to stop the leaks.

But it seemed he couldn’t handle everything alone. Sometimes he wished he were a maintenance tech instead of an IT guy.

Why did something so simple turn so complicated? While he struggled to extend the tarp, his ears caught a sound.

His heart dropped when he saw Jira climbing the metal ladder, also wearing a raincoat. Ko shouted over the noise of the rain, trying to get the smaller boy to climb back down: “You don’t have to come up, it’s dangerous!”
“Then why did you come up? It’s dangerous for you too!”

Ko stopped moving and stared at the boy climbing carefully, step by step. If Jira fell, he swore he wouldn’t be able to catch him in time.
“I told you to go down, Jira! I’m worried about you!” Ko yelled with all his strength, but it was useless. Jira managed to reach the top of the roof.
Ko let out a sigh of relief, though he didn’t lower his guard. He extended his hand to hold him.
This time, the smaller boy cooperated and let Ko grab him and help him climb with all the strength he had.

Fortunately, the roof had a slight slope, preventing them from slipping.

“Let me help you cover it. What do I have to do?” Jira said clearly. Ko didn’t reject the gesture and handed him one corner of the tarp.

With shared effort, they managed to cover part of the roof with the tarp. Even though it was an improvised solution, at least it worked as a temporary fix. It was the best their minds could come up with in that moment.

But right after solving the issue, the sky seemed to want to mock them.

If this were a movie, it would be the moment the scriptwriter decides to play with fate.

The torrential downpour that fell so fiercely earlier became a light drizzle, barely enough to wet them. Jira was breathing heavily, exhausted from the effort.

At the same time, he looked at Ko in disbelief: the other was drenched and in a pitiful state.

Both, dressed in raincoats, stayed still. They were too tired to climb back down the ladder, so they decided to rest right there. Jira sat with his knees drawn up on the tiles, and Ko settled beside him, not moving away.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see something like this.”

In front of Jira unfolded a night view of rooftops stretching as far as the eyes could see. The yellow streetlights made the landscape look special.
Even with the rain, he felt like he was inside a dream.

“How many times in life does someone climb a ladder only to end up sitting on a roof? It’s my first time,” Ko closed his eyes, taking in the atmosphere, then spoke softly:

“I was thinking… what if I open an artistic space or a gallery around here?” Jira turned sharply, incredulous. The sun must have risen in the west that day. “And that mood swing?”
“What do you think? Would you be interested?” “In a place like this, who would come here?”
“In front of the village there’s a community of townhouses. If we turned it into something like the artistic neighborhoods in London- like Soho or Shoreditch- I think I see some commercial potential.”

“We could start by opening one building and then gradually develop the project until it becomes a community. Everyone would want to come, right?”

Ko spoke with enthusiasm, seeing the possibilities of the future. “Something like Thonglor?”
“Yeah.”

Before meeting Jira, he had never thought about doing something related to art.

His mind was full of business, company acquisitions, artificial intelligence, and he spent most of his time in front of a computer screen.

But Jira changed him, slowly…

When they argued about Pheem, he couldn’t sleep afterward.

He realized that nothing helped him sleep without fear or waking up startled in the middle of the night- except Jira.

“I probably have enough capital for you to try something for four or five years.”

The listener was surprised, not only because the tall man valued his work, but because he also saw a future for him. Even though Jira doubted whether the dreams the other painted were just a lie.

“Invest money in something like this? And when will I pay off my debt to you?” “I’ll let you try first.
If you make profits, then you pay me back.” “What inspired you to help me so much?”
“I don’t know… maybe because I’m starting to love art.” “Well, alright. But I’m not sure.”
Ko smiled broadly at hearing the answer.

If the other’s good deeds had a hidden motive, if being good was just to play with feelings, and Jira already knew for sure how everything would end, he still wanted to know.

“Ko, what do you really feel for me?”

The tall man just stared at the other’s face, seeming shocked, and didn’t give any response. But Jira didn’t give up and kept asking insistently.

“Your recent actions are contradictory. You said you didn’t love me.” “Did I ever say that?”
“Yes, you said it. That day.”

“And what kind of answer do you want?” “The truth.”
The young man thought for a moment, as if gathering courage. Finally, he looked up, met Jira’s eyes, and his attractive and serious face made it clear that this was not a game nor part of a plan like before.

“The truth is simple… I like you.”

“And the bad things I did, the pressure to make Pheem leave, it was because I was jealous.”

Jira didn’t expect to hear such a clear answer. The atmosphere around them seemed to sink into absolute silence, without any movement. No one said anything else.

However, the eyes of both, which communicated, were full of intense emotions, with desires overflowing from the deepest part. In the next second, Ko was the one who leaned in to kiss Jira’s warm lips. At the same time, the smaller man accepted that kiss gladly, as if in that world only the two of them existed.

…

The bedroom was soaked with humidity. Although the rain had lessened, it kept falling without stopping. The sad part was that the effort to cover the roof with a tarp seemed useless because the bathroom was still dripping.

Ko and Jira were in front of the wardrobe. They took off the raincoats splashed with drops of water. The tall man looked for towels to dry wet hair but didn’t find any. He took a T-shirt, saw that it wouldn’t work, and threw it on the floor. He repeated this again and again… one garment after another…

Jira was surprised by Ko’s actions and quickly protested. “What are you doing? Why are you throwing it?”
The young man turned, smiling, and threw all the clothes from the wardrobe onto the floor with a crash.

“Before folding the clothes, I like to throw them in a pile here.”

The thick hand threw the next garment on the floor until he finally found the towel he wanted. He gave it first to the smaller man and then took another to dry his own wet hair.

While each dried their hair, their eyes kept looking at each other without anyone thinking of looking away. Desire arose first. Ko moved closer to embrace Jira with an almost unbearable feeling. He took off his shirt, the fire that had ignited began to burn again. Ko took off his own shirt and threw it on the floor forcefully before gently touching the other’s soft cheeks with both hands.

“I want to sleep like when I was a child. Do you want to sleep together?”

It was an invitation that made the listener almost stop breathing for a moment.

Jira nodded. He no longer cared if what Ko did was real or a lie. He didn’t care at all whether the heartless person had recovered his heart or not. What mattered now was the moment he allowed himself to fall into the trap the young man had set.

The slender body slowly sat on the pile of clothes, watching how the sturdy body knelt before leaning in to kiss him deeply on the lips. The tall man slid his hand to the back of the smaller’s neck to hold the head, allowing the face to tilt and receive the kiss comfortably.

After a deep and passionate kiss, Ko slightly separated the lips, his eyes fixed on the freckled face. Finally, he could not resist and gently kissed the pink lips. He stayed like that until satisfied before lowering to kiss the neck, descending over the shoulder and chest.

The slender body leaned according to the feeling. He extended both hands to touch Ko’s hair, applying force to pull lightly until the young man’s face lifted to look at each other. Jira reclined slowly while Ko lay on top, pressing the naked body against the other until barely any space remained.

The thick hand lifted the still-wet shirt of the smaller, kissing gently before licking the chest, making the aroused person writhe on the pile of clothes.

The thick hand slid to unbutton the pants from the slender waist, then dealt with the underwear, leaving only the shirt on the body in a messy state.

“Does your back hurt?” asked the deep voice. “Hmm.”
After finishing the answer, Jira didn’t wait and got up from the pile of clothes, then turned and pushed Ko to lie in the place where he had been.

This time, Jira wanted to be the one in control. Ko, understanding the purpose, smiled at the corner of his lips, looking at the slender body sitting above him with fascination. They hugged tightly before the small face sank into the taller’s neck.

“Besides work, what do you like about me?” The voice that was once clear was now muted but still sounded beautiful to the listener.

“You are beautiful.” Ko responded briefly. Jira smiled. “And you? What do you like about me?”
“Have I ever said I like you?”

Although the answer sounded out of place, when the thick hand slid to touch the center of the smaller, who was aroused, everything became clear.

“But your body is more honest than your words.” “Wow, are you a physical therapist or what?”
The young man smiled slyly before sliding his hand to touch the waist of the person above. He caressed the soft skin affectionately.

“I can be whatever you want me to be.”

“Show me, smart boy. Now you can do whatever you want with me.” “Then I won’t hold back.”
“I will just change position for you.”

The provocative words effectively aroused Jira, so he was the one in control at first. However, with uncomfortable positions, finally the taller couldn’t resist and switched to be the one in control. He moved slowly at first before changing to fast until the slender body shook its head.

The rain continued falling constantly, making the drops from the roof drip into the containers one after another, creating varied high and low sounds, which matched the rhythm of their intense and prolonged sex. No sign of stopping…