Anyway, Kwon Taekjoo had been wondering where the yacht was, so he decided to wait for Yoon Jongwoo's response while he caressed Zhenya's face.
["Sunbae. Are you in Mexico?"]
"Oh. Are we in Mexico right now?"
["You didn't know?"]
"How could I have known? I was dragged here."
[" you're not kidnapped, are you? Should I demand a ransom?"
"If I were, would I be talking to you on the phone right now? Don't worry. I'm in the safest place there is,"
Kwon Taekjoo said, looking at Zhenya. Meanwhile Zhenya listened carefully to the conversation, though he didn't understand a word.
He seem to be trying to grasp the gist from Kwon Taekjoo's tone.
"Anyway, I don't know when I'll be back, so Jongwoo, I need you to report to the director for me. Tell him the 'electrict hammer' hideout was destroyed, thanks to a couple of rats throwing a literal bomb at it. I also managed to export the data from their computers."
Kwon Taekjoo quickly whispered "USB"
To Zhenya, who was still staring at him. It was the only thing he had managed to protect while evading Cuban authorities, fighting off the U.S PMC, and surviving Zhenya's attacks.
Zhenya nodded and left the room Kwon Taekjoo fixed his eyes on the back of Zhenya's head and continued his conversation with Yoon Jongwoo.
"I'll upload it to our group work system later, so check it out afterward."
["understood. You really did a great job."]
"No need to flatter me. It's my usual work. Oh, by the way, what about the privately contracted soldiers? Did you message to trace who they're affiliated with?"
[" they're a multinational group of mercenaries, and they recently worked with a U.S PMC called 'Golden bullet,' they're no longer exactly affiliated with anyone else, but… doesn't it all smell a bit fishy? All signs point to the U.S making a move to pin the blame on us.
All, that way they can close this cyberattack incident on their own terms. Of course, thanks to you cornering them all, it looks like they'll be the ones shouldering the blame. The higher-ups might overlook your breach of protocol this time, don't you think? Though you might still have to write an incident report."]
"Haa.. another incident report? I'm so sick of the crap."
["Did you really think you'd get off Scot-free? You should've escaped when you had the chance. Consider yourself lucky that everything turned out well. If things had gone wrong, this could've become a serious diplomatic issue."]
"How could I just stand by and watch our so-called 'allies' stab us in the back? Do you really want our country to be seen as a fool by the whole world."
["A fool? That's going to far. Sunbae, you really need to tone down that temper of yours if you want to live a little longer."]
"Thanks for the advice, but I have no doubt I'll live a long life thanks to you."
["Thanks to me? What did I do?"]
"You badmouth me all the time. Admit it, you did it just a moment ago, didn't you?"
["Oh God, Sunbae, your grudges run deep. Aren't you overthinking what happened in the past?"]
"Well, can you blame me for having a good memory."
["Haa.. considering you're joking like this; you must really be fine. And here I was losing sleep worrying about you."]
Kwon Taekjoo smirked at Yoon Jongwoo grumpy complaints. For some reason, teasing Yoon Jongwoo was one of those things he had never grown tired of over the years.
They Chatter for a while unit, all of a sudden, Kwon Taekjoo turned his head, feeling someone's gaze on him. Zhenya had already returned and was giving him a strange look. Did he not like Kwon Taekjoo happily chatting with someone else?
Maybe it was because Zhenya wanted all of Kwon Taekjoo's attention for himself. Moments like these made Zhenya seem like nothing more than a big baby.
Seeing Zhenya sulking like a child reminded him of two other kids from before. Kwon Taekjoo decided to ask about them.
"There were some children at the scene."
["Childern? Oh, I heard there were a few survivors. The Cuban authorities probably have them in custody, questioning them as we speak. Why? Are you worried about them?"]
"Yeah, well they were just innocent kids caught up in adult greed."
They had lost their family and home before they even had time to process it, so Kwon Taekjoo could only imagine that's their daily lives were now a living hell. It wasn't clear if the Cuban government would provide them with proper medical care and support.
Kwon Taekjoo worried about things like that, only to chastise himself for going soft. After all, when had he ever cared about anything beyond his own mission objectives?
Up unit recently, Kwon Taekjoo had considered all casualties from his operations as unfortunate but necessary. In his mind, he justified them as a small price to pay to eliminate a bigger threat.
He had seen so much misery that he'd even begun to question the innocence of the weak, like those two children.
But this time, he couldn't act or think as coldly as before. His mind told him not to hesitate, but his heart stubbornly held him back. Strangely, Kwon Taekjoo had occasionally seen the faces of his loved ones superimposed on his targets.
He recalled the words of a veteran agent who once told him that the more personal relationships you had, the more you'd hesitate to pull the trigger. At the time, Kwon Taekjoo thought that didn't apply to him, but now he wondered if it did.
"…anyway, tell the director I'll return on my own."
["Are you sure you don't need an help getting back? The whole area will have its borders shut down, and security will be tight for a while."]
"I'll manage. It's not like I'm seriously hurt, and luckily, I have the strongest ally right here by my side."
When Kwon Taekjoo mentioned his "Strongest ally."
He looked at Zhenya and smiled, Zhenya asked,
"What do you mean?"
"The most reliable and powerful monster in the world."
As Kwon Taekjoo explained in Russian, the hardness in Zhenya's expression softened. Yoon Jongwoo asked what he was talking about, but Kwon Taekjoo replied with a simple.
"I'm hanging up."
Before handing the phone back to Zhenya. Zhenya leaned in to kiss him, but Kwon Taekjoo blocked his lips with the phone screen, thus ending the call. Zhenya's blue eyes filled with confusion at the unexpected move, but Kwon Taekjoo reached a hand out to him.
"I think I'll retrieve my USB now."
"Huh?"
Zhenya seemed to obediently hand over the USB at first. But when Kwon Taekjoo reached out to grab it, Zhenya's fist closed around it.
"What are you doing?"
"Now that I think about it,Taekjoo, this might've been yours before, but now it's in my hands right? I don't give up anything of mines that easily."
"Oh, is that so?"
Kwon Taekjoo smiled and tilted his head. Zhenya met his gaze with a similarly smug grin, clearly anticipating Kwon Taekjoo's next move.
Kwon Taekjoo picked up the glass he had set down earlier and swirled the golden-colored whiskey inside. Zhenya briefly glanced at the glass before focusing on Kwon Taekjoo's face. Their eyes met, and Kwon Taekjoo held Zhenya's gaze as he slowly sipped the remaining whiskey.
As the rich taste spread across his palate, Zhenya's smile gradually faded. He didn't blink once. His dark pupils, surrounded by a crystal-blue iris, narrowed with intensity, focusing entirely on Kwon Taekjoo.
With a loud gulp, Kwon Taekjoo drank the whiskey, his Adam's apple bobbing. When he pulled his lips away, from the empty glass, a single drop of whiskey, precariously hanging between his mouth and the glass, followed the curve of his lip and trickled down.
Kwon Taekjoo carefully slid his tongue to catch the drop.
"The flavor is pretty good. Want to try it?"
"Ah, that performance of yours would leave most sex spies crying."
Zhenya murmured, stunned, as he caressed Kwon Taekjoo's moist lips.
His thumb brushed over the thick curve of Kwon Taekjoo's lower lip before pressing it down. Kwon Taekjoo covered Zhenya's finger with his upper lip, drawing it into his mouth and then gently licked it with his slick, agile tongue.
Zhenya's body gave a small shudder at this rare display of seduction from Kwon Taekjoo.
In the next instant, Zhenya lunged toward him. Kwon Taekjoo turned his head just in time for Zhenya's lips to gaze his cheek. Then, he waved the shiny, empty glass in front of Zhenya, who was breathing heavily,
Zhenya shook his head, panting, and then dropped the USB into the glass with a soft clink, making Kwon Taekjoo gently tangled his hand in Zhenya's hair and pulled him closer.
Zhenya desperately inhaled Kwon Taekjoo's whiskey-laced breath and pressed himself against him. As Kwon Taekjoo's fingers stroked Zhenya's ivory-colored hair, Zhenya breathed heavily, letting out a faint moan. His pale cheeks quickly flushed. Kwon Taekjoo found it adorable how easily Zhenya responded to his touches and breath.
He felt a sense of satisfaction every time Zhenya acted so earnestly in search of his affection, especially since it was such a constant to his usual demeanor.
Their lip met and parted repeatedly with wet, sucking sound, their tongues pushing against one another in an Obscene struggle. Meanwhile, Zhenya had climbed onto Kwon Taekjoo, holding his face and kissing him relentlessly. He seemed like a man who had tasted something sweet for the first time, despite for more, yet his movements were still tender and gentle.
kwon Taekjoo matches his pace, caressing his ear and cheek. They both enjoyed the tiny sparks of static electricity that flickered from Kwon Taekjoo's fingertips.
Kwon Taekjoo slid his finger beneath Zhenya's heated eyes and kissed him repeatedly. Perhaps due to the rough texture of his hardened skin, Zhenya's long lashes fluttered against Kwon Taekjoo's touch, tickling the edges of his eyes and cheeks.
Kwon Taekjoo pulled his hand away, thinking his skin might be itchy, but Zhenya gently grabbed it and kissed each of his fingers before guiding it back to his cheek. Then, he placed light kisses on Kwon Taekjoo's lips.
Kwon Taekjoo titled his head to catch both Zhenya's upper lip and tongue in his mouth at once, letting out a sweet moan. Zhenya's breathing was just as deep and heavy. Kwon Taekjoo softly rubbing his hand against the tiny hairs standing up on Zhenya's cheek, over and over.
He thought he'd never been this gentle with anyone before.
Drunk on their shared moment of tenderness, they continued caressing, kissing, and pressing against each other. Compared to sex, this was child's play, and yet Kwon Taekjoo couldn't help but cling to Zhenya, savoring the soft, tingling sensation it gave him.
Kwon Taekjoo's enthusiasm began to fade quickly. The tongue that had been roughly exploring Zhenya's became still. Only then did Zhenya stop and look at him. Kwon Taekjoo had been breathing heavily for a while, and now his eyes were half-closed.
The fatigue he had been accumulating seemed to catch up with him all at once, possibly intensified by the strong painkiller from earlier
"Are you going to sleep?"
Zhenya asked him. Kwon Taekjoo slowly nodded, lazily extending both arms toward Zhenya.
"Come here. Yevgeny."
Zhenya approached, looking skeptical. Kwon Taekjoo flashed a faint smile and pulled him in for a hug. Pressed tightly against Kwon Taekjoo's chest, Zhenya asked,
"Taekjoo?"
He squirmed uncomfortably, as if something strange had just happened to him.
With his eyes already closed, Kwon Taekjoo gently stroked Zhenya's back while holding him in his arms.
"Listen, your Hyung will play with you once he gets some rest."
"What?"
"Mm, such a good boy." "Hey, Taekjoo..."
"You should sleep too. I know you didn't get any rest, stitching up my wounds all night,"
he mumbled, coaxing Zhenya with sleepy, slurred words. Whenever Kwon Taekjoo was drunk or half-conscious, he would switch languages like he had earlier, a clear sign he was on the verge of passing out.
"You should sleep too. I know you didn't get any rest, stitching up my wounds all night,"
he mumbled, coaxing Zhenya with sleepy, slurred words. Whenever Kwon Taekjoo was drunk or half-conscious, he would switch languages like he had earlier, a clear sign he was on the verge of passing out.
It didn't take long for his eyelids to remain still. The arm cradling Zhenya weakened and started to slip down. Zhenya lifted his head and stared at Kwon Taekjoo, who was now fast asleep.
He kept his eyes on Kwon Taekjoo's sleeping figure for a while before leaning in close enough to feel his breath and inhale the sweet air he exhaled. Normally, Kwon Taekjoo would have woken up instantly, demanding he stop acting strange, but he was already in a deep sleep.
Zhenya tilted his head to rest his ear against Kwon Taekjoo's chest. The heartbeat that had once made his own race now beat slowly but steadily, making its presence known.
He listened to the rhythmic thumps like a lullaby, his eyelids growing heavier.
Their deep breaths synchronized into one, and soon, the sweet pull of sleep enveloped him.
.
.
.
.
End of official chapter.