Page 40 of Idol Prize
Both Min Jae and his grandmother listened intently as Andy went on to talk about his dancing and the classes he taught, sometimes interrupting to ask for more detail or explain something uniquely American, sometimes offering comparable stories of their own. Min Jae dancing in the open front courtyard when he couldn’t get to the studio. Andy skipping college to focus on dance and vocal training. Min Jae being deemed exempt from military service because of his knee injury. Both of their favorite Buster Burger combo meals. An easy exchange, story for story, both learning more about one another over a single meal than all the time they’d spent together at Sky Village.
The conversation continued until they’d finished a second bottle of Sabi and Min Jae’s grandmother could no longer keep from yawning.
“It’s been a long day for you,” Min Jae said as he stood. “Let me help you go lie down.”
“Nonsense,” she protested. “I’m perfectly capable of...” She trailed off into another yawn. “Oh, alright, fine.” She held out her hand, letting Min Jae help her to her feet. “Good night, Andy. Thank you again for joining us today.”
Andy nodded in response. He got up and started clearing the dirty dishes from the table until Min Jae returned. Under Min Jae’s direction, the pair made short work of the dinner dishes and leftovers, returning the kitchen to a more or less spotless condition.
Min Jae hung his damp dish towel near the sink. “What do you want to do now?”
Andy glanced at the old dial clock hanging on the wall beside the refrigerator. Nine pm. “I’m open to whatever.” He paused, chasing away a soju yawn of his own. “But, honestly–”
“You want to go to bed?” Andy nodded. “Yeah, I suppose I do,too. I’m a little drunk for the first time in forever, and it’s been a long day.”
Andy followed Min Jae to his bedroom, who gestured toward the bathroom door on the way. "You can shower first, if you want. Towels are in the cabinet. And I can get everything ready while you do.”
"Thanks." Andy grabbed his toiletry bag and a change of clothes for sleeping. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
The bathroom was a hundred percent period kitsch, with pale green tile on the walls and a porcelain pedestal sink. It took Andy a little time to work out how to use the shower, but he was soon drenched in hot water. He tried to make it quick, mindful of using someone else’s water. Standing there, naked, in Min Jae’s house, with Min Jae across the hall, his body betrayed him, tempting him to do more. But there was no way in hell he’d jerk off in someone else’s shower as a guest at their house. It was probably just the soju working its magic, anyway.
Once he was dry and dressed in his worn but well-loved Hayward Lions shirt and red fleece workout shorts, Andy crossed the hall toward Min Jae’s bedroom, rubbing the towel through his damp hair. The overhead light was off, replaced by the soft glow of a small bedside lamp. Min Jae was there, smoothing out a thin, padded sleeping mat on the floor beside the bed, a pillow and folded blanket placed neatly at one end.
“This is for me,” Min Jae explained. “You’ll take the bed.”
Andy frowned. “Are you sure? I can totally take the floor.”
“Nonsense,” Min Jae insisted, for a moment embodying his grandmother perfectly. “You’re my guest. You’ll take the bed.”
Andy shrugged. “Okay, you’re the boss.” He draped his damp towel over the end of the footboard. “Although it’s probably big enough to share,” he added with a smirk.
Min Jae tilted his head, nearly frowning, his eyes narrowed. Then his expression shifted somehow, the glare becoming asmolder, the frown, a devilish smirk. “Is that what you want?” He slowly stripped off his shirt, letting it drop to the floor.
Andy’s brain froze, caught in the feedback loop of Min Jae’s sultry grin and his lean but impeccably chiseled torso. “I, uh–”
Min Jae barked out a quiet laugh. “Oh my god, if you could only see your face right now.”
Andy snorted. “Just go take your damn shower.”
Chuckling, Min Jae grabbed something from his dresser and left Andy alone in the bedroom. His cheeks slowly spread into a grin as he pulled back the dark comforter on the bed. That asshole had definitely turned Andy’s unserious flirting right back around on him. He was almost impressed. Of course, he was also well aware of how real his feelings were behind the friendly flirting. He hadn’t gotten laid in forever. And he’d only spanked it a handful of times in the shower, quick and quiet, knowing that a roomful of cameras and microphones lay right outside the bathroom door. But the idea was pure fantasy. A shared attraction, half-inspired by an intense rivalry, was hardly enough of a reason to jeopardize whatever weird friendship they had.
Andy lay back, resting his head on a pillow that smelled faintly of Min Jae, a smell he knew all too well. Sure, they could fuck. And it would probably be amazing. But the price? He wasn’t sure he was willing to pay it.
A few minutes later, Min Jae reappeared in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of loose, dark sleeping shorts, his hair damp and tousled, a drop of water tracing a path down the smooth skin of his chest.
Andy’s breath hitched, his body already betraying him again. Min Jae didn’t smirk, but his intentions were plain enough on his face. Have a good look. This is what you’re missing.
But neither of them said anything as Min Jae grabbed his pillow and blanket and settled onto the mat on the floor. He pulled the blanket up to his waist, his dark eyes meeting Andy'swith enough smolder to start a forest fire. "Can you get the light?”
Andy snorted, rolling his eyes as he reached for the switch on the lamp. “Fine. You’d better not snore.”
Min Jae quietly chuckled as he settled onto his pillow. “Only in your dreams.”
Andy smiled, deeply glad that this new Min Jae, relaxed and completely unselfconscious in his own space, still liked to banter. A bangin’ body and an ass that wouldn’t quit were all well and good. But Andy enjoyed the chase as much, if not more, than the capture. And chasing Min Jae was fun.
Lying back in the darkness, Andy basked in the pleasant warmth of a good meal and a comfortable bed. Min Jae’s gravity tugged at him, even from the floor beside the bed, there for the taking. But Andy had to believe that half the reason for their insane chemistry was that unrequited attraction. It had certainly paid off during their last mission. Maybe that was enough. For now.
16
