Kissing You

Chapter 7

"So why are we meeting this guy?"

Tony pulled the cigarette from between his lips, exhaling a cloud of smoke as they walked. "I owe him some money for a favor."

WooHyuk looked to Tony, but Tony didn't elaborate, and WooHyuk didn't push it. They came to the bottom of a set of steps leading to an apartment building. Tony stopped walking, and WooHyuk halted alongside him.

Tony threw down his cigarette, crushing it beneath the toe of his shoe. "This guy - he can be pretty intense," Tony precautioned. "I've only met him once, for about five minutes, so I don't know what to expect. You should probably wait in the car."

WooHyuk brushed off the warning, walking up the steps. With Tony walking up beside him, he commented, "Don't worry about me, I can hold my own."

Tony opened the door, stepped into the front hallway, and rang the man's room number.

Within five minutes, Tony and WooHyuk were being hugged by a large man at the door to his apartment, room 735.

"Come in, come in," the large man insisted, practically dragging the dazed pair into his living room. "Please, have a seat."

Tony and WooHyuk removed their shoes and sat on the only available seats, the black leather loveseat situated in front of the coffee table.

WooHyuk let his eyes skim briefly over the room's other occupants: a small, skinny man sat in a chair directly across the table from the loveseat; to the thin man's right was a sofa seating, from left to right, a man who looked about 20, with hair almost shoulder-length dyed a mousy brown shade, a man who looked like a slightly older version of the man on his left, and the large man who had first greeted them.

The large man held out his hand to WooHyuk. "Lee In," he introduced himself.

WooHyuk took his hand hesitantly for a brief shake, noticing a faraway look in the man's eyes. "Jang WooHyuk."

With a nod, In released WooHyuk's hand, turning his attention to Tony. "Do you have what I need?"

Tony reached into his back pocket and produced a large roll of Won. WooHyuk could not tell how much it was, perhaps a hundred or so 10,000-Won notes, but WooHyuk hoped whatever favor Lee In had given Tony was well worth the sizely amount of cash. In accepted the money and tucked it into a metal tin on the table.

Tony motioned to stand, but In objected, stating, "I insist you stay for awhile. You haven't even met my comrades yet." He gestured to the pair. "An Tony, Jang WooHyuk," he swept his hand across the group to his left, "this is ChoSunLee," the skinny man waved, one hand removing a white bag from a small wooden box in front of him, "Kim SungWon," the smaller brown-haired bowed his head, accepting the contents of of Cho SunLee's bag with both hands, "and his older brother, KimJaeWon," the man on the center seat of the sofa barely glanced their way as he accepted something from his brother.

"Now, boys," Lee In turned to Kim SungWon to accept three white pills into his hand. He handed two of his pills to WooHyuk, giving in way of explaination the simple label, "Party favors."

WooHyuk handed one to Tony, watching as the other four swallowed their pills. Lee In looked to WooHyuk and Tony expectantly.

"Um... what are these?" WooHyuk asked, feeling dumb.

"E," In told them. "Well, go ahead."

Tony and WooHyuk wore matching expressions of confusion.

In placed a glass of water in front of each of them. "E, you know, Ecstasy?"

"And justly named," Kim JaeWon spoke. The three others laughed in agreement.

"Oh, don't tell me you two've never tried Ecstasy," In looked put out. "Well, what better time to try?"

WooHyuk glanced to Tony, who glanced his way. As though they'd rehearsed, they simultaneously placed the pills in their mouths, raising their glasses to their lips and swallowing quickly.

"You should start feeling that within twenty minutes, boys," In told them, grabbing a cigarette from his pack on the table. "Be prepared for a night to remember."

"Lines are readly, Lee," Cho SunLee announced, rolling up a 10,000-won note.

"Good, good," he held out his hadn to accept the small, black prcelain tray with four even white lines of powder. "Boys," he turned to WooHyuk and Tony, "I would like you two to have the first two lines of the night, in my place. And don't worry, this is Ecstasy too." He held out the tray and rolled note.

Tony hesitantly reached across WooHyuk and accepted the objects, settling the tray onto the table in front of him. He leaned over the tray and railed a line quickly. Sitting back in his seat, he held the note out to WooHyuk, sniffling repeatedly and holding the side of his nose. Woohyuk centred the tray in front of himself, then snorted a line as quickly as he could. He could immediately feel the powder stinging his nose, clinging to every surface inside of him from his nostril through to the top of his throat. As he sat back and handed the rolled note to In, sniffling, he tasted bits of Ecstasy hit the back of hsi tongue.

"Beware the drip, boys," In warned, "it tastes like a bitch." He stubbed out his cigarette before leaning forward for a couple of lines of his own.

WooHyuk shut his eyes and let his head fall back onto the leather headrest, his mind focussing on the steady drip of Ecstasy on his tongue and the lyrics of the music playing quietly from seemingly nowhere in particular.

Flying / I'm flying / Hitting heavens high / I'm head on brake too low

Floating / I'm floating / Hanging below the sea / I'm telling you look at me

Ecstasy / I'm in ec...ecstasy

Singing / I'm singing. Yah! / Sounding hanging breathe / I'm begging you look at me

Ecstasy / I'm in ec....ecstasy / Ecstasy

The song ran through three times, the rhythmic sound interrupted in Woohyuk's mind only by light talking from the men in the room and hte sounds of pills being crushed, lined, and railed.

"Jang?"

WooHyuk opened his eyes. Tony was leaning over the coffe table again.

"Your line," In told him unnecessarily as Tony leaned back again, handing him the rolled note.

WooHyuk took his line swiftly, realising quite suddenly the profound effect the Ecstasy was having on him. He sat back in his seat, watching In rail a line, then turned his focus to Tony. Tony's eyelids were slightly drooped, his pupils dilated so far the brown rings were virtually nonexistant.

"Ecstasy looks good on you," WooHyuk commented to him.

Tony hummed in response, his eyes wandering WooHyuk's fac, neck, and shoulders slowly. "Feels good on me," he told WooHyuk with a broad smile. His arm reached casually toward WooHyuk, his fingers delicately running along WoHyuk's jawline and down his neck. "You have beautiful skin."

WooHyuk smiled and let out a soft chuckle, his head falling back against the headrest. He felt Tony's soft fingertips graze the skin against the side of his neck, then the front of it.

"You two falling in love over there?"

WooHyuk opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice as Tony's hand withdrew.

"JaeWon," In reprimanded, "unless you would like for me to share with our newcomers what you did on your first roll, I suggest you let them do as they please. Now, light the hookah before I remove you from this apartment for failure to comply with the rules."

Kim JaeWon, looking quite put out, added a bit more weed to the bowl at the top of the bright blue hookah now sitting on the coffee table, packed it down, put the end of the long hose to his lips, and held a lighter to the bowl as he took a hit.

Woohyuk turned to In. "Rules?"

"Oh, yes, Jang. We have a few rules here, boys. One: If you bring drugs, you share them. Two: If you don't brign drugs, you throw down some cash, usually 50-k-won minimum."

Tony shifted closer to WooHyuk, his arms wraping around WooHyuk's middle. "Well, we don't have any drugs. And I've just handed over all my money."

"Alas," he spoke with flourish, "rule three. First night's free, if you arrive by invitation."

Kim JaeWon tapped Lee In on the shoulder, passing him the hose. In took a hit as Kim SungWon lit the bowl, then he passed it to WooHyuk.

"Hit it while it's cherried," Kim SungWon told him, one hand shielding the bowl.

"He means lit," In told WooHyuk as the dancer dragged on the hose powerfully.

Tony accepted the hose in turn, taking a hit. As In released a small cloud of smoke, Woohyuk choked on his hit, billows of smoke clouding around him.

In patted him on the back, telling him, "It hits real clean, Jang. Hit lightly."

Tony stood, passing the hose caustiously over the table to Cho SunLee. Resettling onto the loveseat, practically sittign in WooHyuk's lap, he asked, holding his breath, "Shotgun?"

"What?" WooHyuk asked.

"Just inhale," Tony instructed, placign his lips to WooHyuk's and releasing his hit.

WooHyuk inhaled the smoke, holding the back of Tony's neck to turn the shotgun into a brief kiss. He tugged on Tony's lower lip gently before releasing him.

"In, I think they really are falling in love," Kim JaeWon commented.

"I've been in love with him for years," Tony released, shutting his eyes and leaning back.

"What?" Woohyuk blinked twice.

Tony opened one eye and looked over at WooHyuk, a broad grin sweeping over his features.

"Fuck off," WooHyuk hit his arm lightly.

"You know it peaked your interest. Are you gonna deny it?"

"Right now, I'm in love with everyone. Anyone would peak my interest."

"And here I thought one-night drunken flings were something special we shared."

"Drunken flings, yes. Random one night stands while I'm on E, now that's a different story."

"Wait," Kim JaeWon held up a hand. "Drunken flings?"

Woohyuk lazily rolled his gaze to the man. "Tell us what happened the first time you rolled, then you get more details."

Kim JaeWon laughed. "Not in this lifetime, sweetheart."

"I'll tell you."

All attention was turned to Kim SungWon.

"I was there. Now, you two've each taken two pills, give or take a little. This one," he indicated his brother, "took five. He tried to sleep with In, and when that failed, proceeded to try to get with three of our close female friends. Even rolling, they didn't go for it." Kim JaeWon raised his fist to his little brother, who held up a placating hand. "Now hyung, violence is not necessary. Besides, I'm just getting to the good part. Jae then proceeded to strip off all his clothes and dance for almost three hours to music in his head in the middle of the street. Many attepts were made to lure him back inside, but eventually In and I had to carry him. And what a sight he was."

WooHyuk and Tony laughed until they could hardly breathe, the mirth shared by all except Kim JaeWon, who looked mortified beyond reason.

"So," Kim SungWon continued after the laughter had died down, "what about drunken flings?"

"Oh," WooHyuk waved his hand casually, "Tony and I got drunk with a couple of friends last night. We ended up sumbling into our apartment, and I gave him a handjob before he promptly passed out. I barely made it to my bed before falling out myself."

"Really?" Tony asked, his fingers skimming WooHyuk's neck again, stopping momentarily at each small mole. "I passed out right after?"

"Yeah, you did," WooHyuk let his head fall back again.

"That's too bad," Tony informed him. "Now I owe you a favor."

WooHyuk looked over at Tony, and they both laughed.

"You two must be close," In commented. "Friendships have failed over similar things. You two don't seem so upset by it all."

"Well," Tony regarded WooHyuk, "there are definitely worse people to realise you slept with."

"Like one of your other friends?" In prompted.

Tony considered it. "Like any of my other friends."

In regarded him in a strange way. Tony shook off the glance, turning his attention back to the feeling of WooHyuk's skin under his fingertips.
~~~

"Thank you again, Mr Chul, for the ride."

Tony shut the car door as Lee In's driver pulled away from their building. Holding onto each other loosely, Tony and WooHyuk made their way up to their apartment, stopping just inside the doorway. Woohyuk shut the door, the soft click of the latch resounding through the silent apartment.

Tony pulled Woohyuk smoothly to himself, pressing himself against the wall as his lips met the soft skin of WooHyuk's neck. WooHyuk landed heavily against the wall, his hands supporting him, one on each side of Tony's head.

"God, you smell good," Tony mumbled against WooHyuk's skin.

WooHyuk stepped into the embrace, his hands sliding up Tony's sides. "I love to feel you in my arms," he whispered in Tony's ear.

Tony's lips found WooHyuk's gently, every point of contact between them sending waves of hapiness and pleasure through both of their bodies.

Hesitantly, Tony pulled away from the kiss, keeping WooHyuk's body tightly to himself. "Last night," he whispered into the small space between them, "you said something to me. You told me you loved me. I need to know if you meant that. I need to know if you will regret this tomorrow."