With no other choice, Kwon Taekjoo would occasionally turn on the camera to check on Zhenya.
During his absence, Zhenya didn't send him a single message, but every time Kwon Taekjoo called through the camera, Zhenya would appear immediately on the screen.
Kwon Taekjoo couldn't help feeling secretly relieved and inexplicably irritated whenever he saw his pretty face.
"What the hell? You said you'd be back in a week. What's keeping you for so long?"
["Things just turned out that way."]
"'Turned out that way'? Are you serious? You bastard, you don't feel even a shred of guilt, do you? You always leave and never think about coming back."
["Why the sudden outburst? Did you miss me so much that you can't bear it anymore?"]
Even as Kwon Taekjoo lashed out at him, Zhenya would just smile, enjoying his frustration.
Every time this happened, Kwon Taekjoo would roll his eyes and carefully examine his face for any new injuries.
Zhenya, on the other hand, would instantly become smug, pleased that
Kwon Taekjoo had come looking for him first.
The way he lifted his chin and straightened his shoulders said it all.
["Are you that desperate to see me? I suppose I've been away long enough to make you all hot and bothered. Really, your patience is thinning by the day."]
"Hot and bothered? Who do you think you're talking about?"
["Are you really denying it?"]
Zhenya provocatively lowered his eyelids and teased Kwon Taekjoo.
Then he leaned back and began unzipping his pants to pull out his cock without warning.
It was the first time Kwon Taekjoo watched him masturbate.
Zhenya had always been one to sit back and watch after forcing Kwon Taekjoo to jerk off, pouncing on him only when arousal drove him to satisfy his needs.
He never took care of these things on his own.
Maybe that was why Zhenya's growing erection didn't seem so unpleasant to Kwon Taekjoo.
In fact, he was concentrating on his every move with bated breath.
Every time Zhenya moved his hand up and down, Kwon Taekjoo's body responded in tune.
Zhenya had touched him so often and with such intensity that seeing him now stirred up old sensations.
Zhenya's back shuddered each time his long, pale fingers slid along his cock.
It was as if each grip and touch of his erection shot straight to Kwon Taekjoo's own cock, squeezing it with the same
rhythmic movements.
Kwon Taekjoo's body heated up quickly, and his breathing became shallow.
Zhenya, who was still teasing himself, seemed to notice the change and abruptly pulled his hand away.
At the same time, Kwon Taekjoo let out a low moan.
He shuddered a moment later, realizing what he'd done, but Zhenya was already smiling triumphantly on the screen.
["Taekjoo. Are you just going to keep watching me? It must be torture for you to only look."]
"... Damn it."
Unable to restrain himself anymore, Kwon Taekjoo unbuckled his belt and pulled out his burning cock.
The mere grasp of his swollen shaft sent a stabbing pain and overwhelming
pleasure shooting down his back, and his widely spread knees trembled unsteadily.
Kwon Taekjoo began to squeeze his engorged cock with overwhelming pressure.
A shudder shook his body so intensely that his vision began to blur.
"Ahh, aah... ugh, shit..."
Kwon Taekjoo could no longer stifle his rapid breathing and moaning.
Driven solely by the need to reach orgasm as soon as possible, his hand was frantically running up and down his
aroused cock.
But, for some reason, the pleasure was not as intense as he had expected.
["Taekjoo. You should stroke it gentler. Remember how I always touch you?"]
As if to show him, Zhenya slid his hand down his own cock, from the base to the tip, in one smooth motion.
He circled the head with the palm of his hand, stroking it gently, then massaged its entire length before slowly moving back up.
His entire cock twitched and a drop
of pre-seminal fluid glistened on the head.
Kwon Taekjoo fixed his gaze on the screen, mirroring Zhenya's movements.
The ache in his cock, a lingering pain from the rough treatment earlier, began to melt away as he succumbed to the familiar rhythm.
A deep wave of pleasure surged through him, wrapping his entire body in its intensity.
["Stroke it from the base to the tip, gently and slowly."].
"Mmn, nngh... Aahh..."
["Aahh, you always like it when I rub my hand all over your glans.Mm, that's it, just like that. Taekjoo..."]
"Mmm, just, shut up, ugh... aah…"
["Now squeeze it a little harder. Aah, squeeze it, then let go, and press the tip again."]
"Aah, mmngh, mmmh, shit..."
["Taekjoo. You sound so good, whining pitifully like this."]
With the sound of Zhenya's sweet voice and his ragged breathing, Kwon Taekjoo began to slowly reach orgasm.
He was only stroking his cock, but a subtle tingling sensation was creeping up his chest and ass.
Maybe even that was a conditioned reaction.
"Aaah, mmngh, aah.... aahhh...!"
["Taekjoo, Taekjoo...Mnn, Taekjoo, mmgh...!"]
A few moments later, they both came intensely.
Zhenya's semen splashed on the camera, dripping slowly down the lens.
["Ahh... Well, what did you think, Taekjoo? Are you feeling a little better now?"]
"...You bastard. I feel like I'm dying, so get your ass over here already."
Zhenya let out a loud laugh at Kwon Taekjoo's frustrated tone.
["Clearly, this place isn't as fun without you,"]
Zhenya murmured in a hollow voice. He bit his lower lip and then slowly licked it.
It was obvious he was disappointed that he couldn't kiss Kwon Taekjoo.
Kwon Taekjoo was about to snap back, telling him to come over if he wanted to so badly, but suddenly stopped when he saw his own reflection on the dark screen.
He looked just like Zhenya.
At some point, he had started biting his lip, exactly like Zhenya.
"....."
Zhenya might have left the camera on.
Kwon Taekjoo had no idea if he was even on Ajinoki Island right now, but he had to take that chance.
He turned on the tracking app.
The screen stayed idle for a moment before switching to the familiar view of Zhenya's living room.
There was no sign of him.
Holding his breath, Kwon Taekjoo strained to pick up any trace of sound, but he couldn't hear anything.
Kwon Taekjoo tried to say something.
He opened his mouth but could only manage a sigh.
After a long moment of hesitation, he finally said his name.
"Zhenya."
Zhenya had secluded himself in the basement, studying a particular blueprint.
He was making the necessary adjustments to test the interception missiles deployed all over the island.
The current system had enough firepower to track and shoot down most helicopters, but it still wasn't enough.
Zhenya needed a flawless, foolproof system—one capable of defending against and easily taking down both fighter jets and their ballistic missiles.
This was part of his plan to turn Ajinoki Island into an impenetrable fortress.
It was also a personal hobby, something he'd enjoyed working on long before meeting Kwon Taekjoo.
Since he was a child, he had been fascinated by anything that could make him stronger.
For some, raw ambition could outweigh natural talent or specialized knowledge.
In Zhenya's case, this drive showed itself through his obsession with weapons.
Without any formal training or academic guidance, he sketched designs for new weapons, turning his imagination
into reality.
Even if he encountered unexpected obstacles, he was quick to find solutions.
It was much easier to analyze the operating function of a machine than that of a human being.
He liked that his machines rewarded his efforts with matching firepower and would never betray their owner.
Even if an unexpected error occurred, he only needed to make a few adjustments to get them working again.
In this sense, humans were rather irritating and annoying.
They never behaved as he wanted,
and once broken, they were impossible to fix.
Most of the time, Zhenya thought it would be easier to just destroy them altogether.
However, there was one person who had slipped into Zhenya's life that he couldn't do that to.
"…..."
At least, when he examined his blueprints, his mind stayed clear of distracting thoughts.
He had spent entire days in the basement without feeling tired or hungry.
But, for some reason, this time was different.
No matter how much he tried to stop his scattered thoughts, they kept drifting back to Kwon Taekjoo.
By now, Kwon Taekjoo would have safely returned to Korea, and it was obvious what kind of reception awaited him after his stubborn return.
Just in case Kwon Taekjoo had been imprisoned, Zhenya had tracked the microchip he'd implanted in him from time to time.
He'd noticed that Kwon Taekjoo spent four days at the NIS before returning home, where he stayed for several more days.
Knowing Kwon Taekjoo, who was incapable of sitting still unless he was asleep, it was strange for him to stay at home.
Zhenya considered all sorts of possibilities.
Maybe he'd been injured due to brutal torture, or perhaps he was in a situation that prevented him from leaving his residence.
As his unpleasant thoughts continued swirling, a flame of anger ignited within him.
He couldn't help but think Kwon Taekjoo was a fool for returning, fully aware of the risks.
Zhenya couldn't understand why he sacrificed so much for a country that could easily turn its back on him and that had already taken the lives of his family.
The life of an agent was one spent between the shadows of honor and glory, only to disappear into complete darkness.
Zhenya had no idea where to even begin unraveling the greatest dilemma of his life... that was Kwon Taekjoo, especially since he had no similar relationship in his past to apply the same formula.
["Zhenya."]
He froze mid-movement.
It was an instinctive reaction, not a conscious decision.
Maybe he'd been so consumed by thoughts of Kwon Taekjoo that he'd imagined it, but he could have sworn he heard his voice.
["Yevgeny."]
When he was about to dismiss it as a hallucination, another sound rang out, clearer this time.
Zhenya rose immediately and climbed the stairs.
Although he moved with long, wide strides, he couldn't shake an odd sense of frustration.
His heart was pounding intensely, causing an inner discomfort.
There was no way Kwon Taekjoo could have returned.
The radar system would have alerted
him to any approaching aircraft, and he hadn't heard the whir of helicopter blades.
It had to be a misunderstanding, but Zhenya continued searching restlessly through the vast expanse of his home.
No matter where he looked, there were no signs of any intruder.
He couldn't even catch Kwon Taekjoo's scent.
Maybe it was all in his head.
["Are you listening?"]
Zhenya was about to turn around, cursing himself, when an even clearer voice echoed through the house.
He followed it instantly, heading straight to the living room.
Soon, the blinking light of the home camera on the table became visible.
Was that where it was coming from?
He stood in place for a moment, staring at it intently.
Kwon Taekjoo's voice filtered through again, as if confirming that he hadn't imagined it.
["I've been assigned a new mission. This time it won't take long."]
A laugh of disbelief escaped him.
After their heated argument, with Kwon Taekjoo walking away as if he never wanted to see him again, the first thing he said after days of silence was
that he was on a new mission?
Was Zhenya hearing this right?
Something had to be wrong with him.
Seeing Kwon Taekjoo prioritize his work again, after insisting they needed time alone, only to set aside their unresolved issues, made Zhenya feel incredibly angry.
Every time he gave Kwon Taekjoo what he wanted; he'd ask for more.
And if Zhenya allowed it again, there'd be
another new demand.
Humans were such ambitious, selfish creatures.
Maybe he should just track down Kwon Taekjoo and tie him down by his side.
At least then, the wave of frustration and anger swirling within him might subside a little.
His dark emotions churned just beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, Kwon Taekjoo, who had no way of knowing what Zhenya was thinking, continued speaking on his own.
His tone was calmer and more serene than ever, making him sound almost affectionate.
["I've already made my decision. When I return, I'll tell you everything, including what I haven't been able to say before. So, don't try to follow me or get involved. Just wait for me quietly."]
Kwon Taekjoo only acted this warmly when he felt guilty.
["This isn't an order. I'm asking as a favor,"]
he added after a brief pause.
His voice was sweeter and softer than ever, completely unlike him.
["Once I'm done, I'll come back for you, okay? Zhenya."]
"....."
Kwon Taekjoo persuaded him with a patient, gentle tone, as if Zhenya were a six-year-old child.
Zhenya looked at the camera with a look of disapproval, as if the small device were Kwon Taekjoo himself.
Unfortunately, those were Kwon Taekjoo's last words.
Zhenya waited a while, hoping for
more, but only silence remained.
Only then did he approach, replaying Kwon Taekjoo's voice recording over and over.