“You look pretty today, princess,” Gyuvin’s teasing voice floated through the open door of Quanrui’s private quarters, and when he looked up from the vanity, sure enough, there was Gyuvin’s head, popping in like a mischievous little dog. A smile tugged at the corners of Quanrui’s lips despite himself.
“Not like it’s a rare occurrence,” Gyuvin continued, strolling into his quarters with the ease of someone who’d learned every nook and cranny of this room. “You’re pretty every day, but you know that already.”
“What do you want, Gyuvin?” Quanrui said with an air of resignation, cat-like eyes trained on the little mirror propped up against the lid of the polished wooden box. Usually, he would be waited on hand and foot by the junior courtesans, the young'uns taking a liking to his long hair, always so eager to get him ready in the mornings or when it was time to see his customers. But today had been declared a holiday by Madame, a little mercy in an otherwise bleak circ*mstance, and they were quick to grab the opportunity by its throat.
So, Quanrui was left to tend to himself—well, not so much now that Gyuvin was here—combing his long dark hair into a braid and rolling it into a low bun behind his head. He’d always had difficulty doing this part of the hairstyle; having two overeager boys constantly fighting for his attention had its perks, as they were always ready to style his hair any way he fancied.
Suddenly, he felt large hands wrapping his struggling ones, and through the mirror, he watched as Gyuvin helped him with the finishing touch of tying the bun with a ribbon—dark red, soft to the touch, a gift from Gyuvin aeons ago.
Quanrui felt the burn of Gyuvin’s touch on his hands as he laid them primly on his lap.
“There. Beautiful,” Gyuvin said, voice barely above a whisper as he pressed their cheeks together, eyes meeting through the little mirror’s reflection.
The skin of his face where it touched Gyuvin’s warmed in an instant, pink blossoming across his skin like the colour of a petal. Gyuvin, pleased at what he saw, smiled toothily, showing his age, and left a kiss on his warm cheek without warning.
A scolding was on the tip of Quanrui’s tongue, eyes darting towards the open sliding door, and then Gyuvin was in his space, holding him by the chin and pressing his lips onto the corner of Quanrui’s lips.
“Gyuvin,” he hissed, hand clutched tight around Gyuvin’s arm. “What if Madame—”
“It’s just the two of us.” Gyuvin grinned, and made to lean towards him again if not for Quanrui’s hand pressing against his chest.
“Are you sure?”
Gyuvin rolled his eyes like he was wont to do whenever Quanrui got into these little fits. Sometimes, he wondered if all this was merely a game for Gyuvin.
“Princess, why do you think the Madame oh-so-kindly let the courtesans off today?”
Quanrui shrugged an elegant shoulder; he seldom took interest in the news circulating around this house or outside, finding it all extremely boring and useless. Oh, the boys loved nothing more than to share little pieces of gossip about Madame, or more often, the customers who engaged in their services, but he more often than not let it all in one ear and out the other.
“Crown Prince Jiwoong was rumoured to return today,” Gyuvin said, tone speckled with mild annoyance, though what it was about the Crown Prince that bothered him Quanrui didn’t know. “Everyone and their mother wanted a chance at seeing him with their own two eyes.”
Quanrui’s eyebrow quirked at that, for once finding the news noteworthy.
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind seeing him myself. He was rumoured to be quite handsome, wasn’t he?”
A tick in Gyuvin’s jaw, then the sound of teeth grinding together. Quanrui’s pulse picked up in excitement.
“Like hell I’d let you.”
“You don’t own me, Gyuvin,” he purred, personality switched in a heartbeat to the one he often used when playing with his customers.
If this was all a game for Gyuvin, then would it really be so wrong if Quanrui took liberties in riling him up?
Gyuvin’s eyes darkened dangerously, the air turning cold, but Quanrui paid it no mind, choosing to lean back with his arms behind him and legs spread wide in front of him. The pink hanbok skirt fluttered prettily across the floor, and with a subtle lift of a finger, the skirt rode up a little, exposing his dainty ankles.
Gyuvin’s eyes snapped to the teasing stretch of pale, milky skin, and Quanrui felt a bubble of laughter rising up from his chest. Men were so easy to rile up, be it a paying customer or a dear friend who had grown up in this wretched house with him side by side.
Gyuvin might have thought he could play Quanrui like a fiddle, but Quanrui could play conductor just as well, if not, better.
“Quanrui… you’re playing a very dangerous game,” Gyuvin said, tone almost like a lull, fingers circling around his ankle.
Quanrui stuttered out a gasp when Gyuvin tugged him down hard enough for his hands to slide across the floor, making him lose his balance. Gyuvin swung over his legs in a whoop, and before he knew it, he had pushed the skirt up to his waist, exposing the white underpants. The jeer on Gyuvin’s face sent a delicious chill up his spine.
“You are wearing far too many layers right now.” Gyuvin ran his hands reverently along his covered calves, then thighs, and Quanrui trembled at the look on his face. “How could those men even bear it?”
“Some of them like having to peel the clothes off me, finding it a challenge,” Quanrui said, smugness lacing his tone, chin jutting out. “Some are eager to get me naked, yes, but they’re simply too enamoured with me to have anything of mine ripped off.”
Gyuvin snorted, and levelled Quanrui with a flat look. “Or rather, they know it’ll come out of their own pocket if anything of the courtesan’s is ripped. I handle the books on occasion, darling.”
Quanrui bristled, caught in a blatant lie, and covered his eyes with his arm. He couldn’t be bothered to look at Gyuvin’s smug face.
“Aww, princess, you know I know that those men are charmed by you. You don’t have to tell me that.” Gyuvin tugged at his arm, and when that turned futile, he ran his hands along Quanrui’s ticklish sides. He stifled his giggles, determined to win this silly game.
It was infuriating, how Gyuvin could peg him down a notch just like that. He had just wanted to see Gyuvin’s reaction, to rile him up a little, because Quanrui was always left feeling flustered around him. He could never tell how Gyuvin truly felt for him, the boy ridden with such carefreeness that it made him feel disconcerted sometimes. It was not a feeling he enjoyed having.
“Quanrui…” he cooed, long fingers fiddling with the ribbons of his blouse. Quanrui finally lifted his arm to watch Gyuvin unravel the ribbon and push the blouse off his body, leaving him in the undergarment covering his chest. “There you are.”
He didn’t know why he allowed Gyuvin this much leeway with his body. If he cared to riffle through the thoughts in his mind, he was sure he’d find the answer he was looking for plain as a day.
“Are you always so pliant with them?”
Quanrui tore his gaze away and landed his eyes on the plain walls of his quarters behind Gyuvin’s head. A roughened hand on his jaw brought his gaze back to Gyuvin’s serious face, and his eyelids fluttered as Gyuvin stroked his cheek.
“I have to admit, I don’t particularly enjoy the thought of you with them.”
“I’m a courtesan, Bin-ah, it’s what I do.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Well…”
Something akin to sadness glimmered in Gyuvin’s eyes, and Quanrui, unable to stand the thought of having made Gyuvin sad, decided to help Gyuvin undress him, wriggling out of the underpants while leaving everything else on. He was all too aware of the unshut sliding door, and he knew that if Madame were to catch them together like this, he might really not be able to see Gyuvin ever again.
His heart ached at the depressing thought.
“Hurry if you want to f*ck me,” he demanded, hands a blur on Gyuvin’s own pants.
Gyuvin shook his head to clear whatever it was that plagued his mind, and moved so that he was sitting between Quanrui’s spread leg, all the while helping him slide the pants off his own legs. They didn’t bother taking anything else off, the fear that Madame and the others were going to return early and discover them like this reflected in each other’s eyes.
“I will buy you your freedom, you know?” Gyuvin said, two fingers deep inside him, and Quanrui swallowed the sob threatening to claw out of his throat.
“With what money, Gyuvin-ah?”
“I’ve been saving up,” he frowned, and Quanrui watched the lines of his face, the determination marked between his eyebrows. He barely broke a sweat as he fed Quanrui a third finger, his hole wet with entirely too much oil.
That was Gyuvin: no matter how playful and irritating he could be, Quanrui’s comfort was his priority. Many other men barely had the decency to slick him up before they ravaged his body, and Gyuvin was always the one tending to his wounds when all was said and done, teeth gritting and hands clenching in barely repressed fury.
“I will kill them,” he’d say, clogs twisting and turning in his mind, already hatching a plan, and Quanrui would lay a comforting hand on his arm and try to smile, not wanting Gyuvin to waste a single thought on those men.
“That’s nice,” Quanrui whispered.
“I'm as serious as death, princess. I know I’m being paid peanuts here now, but Madame will soon need to choose her successor. I’m confident I’m it.”
Quanrui wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh, and then sob, and then laugh some more. Quanrui knew Madame more than anyone else, and there was no way in God’s hell that she would ever choose Gyuvin. He wasn’t even one of her favourite adopted sons, and she had many littering this godforsaken house.
“You’re not even her favourite,” he said bluntly. If he didn’t put out this thought, then who else? He couldn’t bear the thought of Gyuvin holding out hope like that, knowing full well that he never stood a chance.
Gyuvin frowned, then twisted his fingers inside him, hooking them into a come-hither motion that had Quanrui’s leg jerking. “I don’t have to be her favourite to be chosen. I’m the most capable, and that’s enough.”
“Gyuvin, be sensible.”
He couldn’t believe they were having this conversation while he was getting screwed on Gyuvin’s fingers, but here they were. His back arched when Gyuvin seemed to punish him by relentlessly nudging the spot inside him with the pads of his fingers, never letting it up for a second, and he quivered in Gyuvin’s hold, the crown of his head pushed against the floor.
“You’re so hot inside, Rui,” he said, nuzzling his thigh. Warm breath brushed against his skin as he slowed and allowed Quanrui some respite. “I wish you’d believe in me.”
“Gyuvin…”
“Yes, I wish you could say my name like that all the time.”
“Gyuvin, I—”
When it was clear he wasn’t going to continue, Gyuvin frowned, but said nothing of it. When he deemed Quanrui ready, he slicked his stiff co*ck with more oil and hooked Quanrui’s thighs on his arms as Quanrui held him around the base and pushed him inside.
It was a tight fit, always was, despite the oil. Gyuvin was huge, and it was impossible for it not to hurt when taking him, but it was as though taking him was a holy act, his co*ck cleansing him of the marks of the other men that had been inside him.
He fisted Gyuvin’s leanly-muscled arm to withstand the pain, and then, for one blissful moment, Gyuvin was locked entirely inside, pulsating like mad. He let out a shaky breath, brought his gaze to Gyuvin’s face above him, and stopped short of the look on his face.
Gyuvin’s stare on him was scorching, his eyebrows furrowed, eyes dark, and it made Quanrui want to hide his face in Gyuvin’s neck to shield himself from the sheer intensity.
“You’re beautiful,” Gyuvin said, reverence in his tone, and Quanrui held himself back from telling him it was something he heard almost every day from other men.
Let Gyuvin have this, he reasoned.
“Hurry,” Quanrui reminded him, hole tightening around his co*ck, and that was all it took for Gyuvin to take his fill.
The autumn air turned warm soon enough, his quarters filled with grunting and repressed moans. The skirt was a nuisance, pooled around his waist, but it was worth it to see the look on Gyuvin’s face, like nothing was hotter than taking him like the whor* he was, desperate enough for co*ck to not even bother getting naked. Quanrui’s hole around Gyuvin’s girth spasmed at the thought, face burning in embarrassment.
Gyuvin let out a groan, vein popping in his neck, and Quanrui cupped him around his jaw, thumbs stroking reverently at the apples of his cheeks. Gyuvin’s hips were a blur with how fast he was f*cking him, eyes never leaving Quanrui’s. He bit his lip as his back scraped the floor, revelling in the way Gyuvin treated his body.
Soon enough, he felt the telltales of org*sm, and went absolutely tight around Gyuvin’s co*ck. Gyuvin doubled his efforts, arms pulling Quanrui’s thighs closer to his body, and grinning madly at the yelp leaving his throat.
“Going to come, princess?”
Quanrui nodded, desperate. He usually didn’t need stimulation to his co*ck when it was Gyuvin f*cking him, his co*ck enough to satisfy him into a prostate org*sm. It was something Gyuvin took pride in, and now, he swivelled his hips in search of that spot, looking determined. Quanrui hid his moan in his arm, neck stretched out invitingly as he pushed his head to the side, and then, as Gyuvin’s teeth sunk into the curve of his neck, he came, spurting messily across the front of his hanbok skirt.
Oh hell, he thought, that would be a bitch to clean.
Quanrui lied supinely as Gyuvin chased his own pleasure through his body, thighs now no longer hooked on Gyuvin’s arms, but wrapped loosely around Gyuvin’s waist.
Gyuvin was rough, as he usually was when he was on the cusp of org*sm, and then, as he crooned sinful things in Gyuvin’s ear while going deathly tight around his co*ck, he felt Gyuvin’s co*ck throbbing inside as he jetted powerfully into his sore and slick channel.
“That’s good, darling,” he crooned, feeling the shell of Gyuvin’s ear going warm against his lips. His puppy, always so uncharacteristically shy when praised.
Not even a moment later, he yelped as Gyuvin’s large hands cupped his buttocks, squeezing them while Gyuvin was still inside, throbbing.
“Stop it! Pull out. We need to clean. Ugh, a morning and half gone.”
Gyuvin pulled out without a single complaint, although an annoying smile was etched on his face.
“Your makeup is ruined,” Gyuvin said, eyes dark as he stared at his sweat-stained face. “I like it. Makes me want to ruin you even more.”
Quanrui went warm all over, and stood up shakily, determined to not return Gyuvin’s stare. “Enough. Madame and the others are bound to make their way home soon enough. Help me clean your come out of my hole.”
The way Gyuvin stood up and bounded over to him, you would think he had asked him for another round of f*cking. But then again, knowing them, Gyuvin might really get his wish then.
“With pleasure, princess.”
“You are not to touch me in that way.”
“I can’t promise you that, you should know that by now.”
Gyuvin helped him back into his blouse and fluttered the skirt back over his legs as if he was simply dressing him up for the morning. Quanrui waited for him by the door as he fixed the strands of hair falling out of the bun. He watched as Gyuvin slid his pants back on, hiding his tanned legs and gorgeous co*ck from Quanrui’s eyes. He didn’t dare take a peek at the little mirror; he knew just by feeling his hair, face, and the stares Gyuvin kept sending him that he must look like a riot. Never mind that Gyuvin’s dark stare sweeping him from top to bottom made the hairs on his skin stand on ends.
Once he deemed himself presentable, Gyuvin bounded over to him, looped their arms together, and walked the short distance to the washroom together. It wasn’t like he was hurt; the ache in his hole was nothing but a twinge now, but Gyuvin fussed over him the entire way, wanting him to lean his weight against him as they walked. He was exasperated by the fussing, but fondness bloomed in his chest too, to his chagrin.
“Clean my hanbok too, for that matter,” he grumbled as Gyuvin manhandled him into the washroom. He gestured for Gyuvin to kneel down, then scooped water from the tub with the dipper and handed it to Gyuvin. He looked far too bright for someone who was ordered to clean the insides of a whor*’s hanbok, and Quanrui huffed as he crouched under his dress.
“No funny business, Gyuvin-ah,” he reminded. Gyuvin’s too-warm presence underneath his hanbok made his co*ck twitch in interest, and he bit his lips as he felt fingers wet with water cleaning his co*ck and hole. A short while later, he waddled out, looking all too pleased.
“Like new, princess, come scrubbed clean.”
“Lower your voice!” He hissed, eyes darting towards the door of the washroom.
“Quanrui, calm down.” Gyuvin stood up, hands cradling his face. “I would hear them if they were close by. No sounds of the horses so far, no?”
Quanrui met his eyes, and Gyuvin softened at the wild look on his face. “No one’s taking me away from you, I promise you.”
“You don’t know that. You can’t possibly know that.”
“We’ve been careful so far, haven’t we?”
Reluctantly, he nodded. Although, this morning was anything but careful. He really should put his foot down more firmly, he should stop letting Gyuvin seduce him and jeopardise their lives like this. If Madame really sent Gyuvin far and away, he would really die. Gyuvin was the only constant in his life, the only bright spot in his bleak life, and if he were gone… if he were truly gone…
“Shen Quanrui, stop. I’m here with you, right now, right here. Feel me.”
Quanrui’s hands trembled as he laid his palms over Gyuvin’s solid chest, and he let out a shaky breath as he felt Gyuvin’s heart pumping underneath his chest. Solid. Real. Here, with him.
“I’m here,” Gyuvin whispered, nose nuzzling his temple, and Quanrui let his heart calm, and closed his eyes.
“Rui-Rui, could you take Hanbin tonight? I feel a headache coming on,” Zhang Hao said, face pale without his usual rouge. The silk sleeping robe he had on billowed behind him as he stopped by Quanrui’s quarters, head popping in much like a repeat of this morning with Gyuvin.
“You won’t mind?” He asked, blinking in surprise. Everyone knew Hanbin was Zhang Hao’s repeating customer, and that he favoured Zhang Hao more than anyone else in the house. Of course, customers were customers, and the concept of being loyal to one was laughable, but he’d noticed how much chirpier Zhang Hao was on the nights Hanbin had booked him.
Zhang Hao looked almost surprised by the question, but shook his head. “Of course not. It isn’t like we’re married,” he laughed, but there was a strain in the note, and Quanrui wondered if there was something he was missing.
“Then, I shall take him.”
“You know I’m only asking because I trust you the most, don’t you?”
“Of course, ge.”
“Thank you, darling. I apologise for the short notice.”
Quanrui shook his head. Zhang Hao could never bother him; he would bend over backwards just to please his older brother. Being the only Chinese courtesans in this house would do that to you. The bond between them was bordering on unbreakable, never mind that Zhang Hao came much later in his life.
So just like that, he was booked for the night. When he came to the front of the house, all dressed up, he saw Gyuvin manning the books by the reception, looking all too focused. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips at the sight.
As if sensing eyes on him, Gyuvin looked up and caught Quanrui’s eyes. “Hanbin-ssi for tonight?”
Quanrui nodded.
“He requests that you play an instrument for him and read some poetry.” There was relief in his tone, unheard by anyone else but Quanrui.
“Of course.”
“The room had been set up. You can wait there. The boys will escort him.”
“Thank you, Gyuvin.”
Gyuvin looked around then. Satisfied at the lack of people loitering around the area, he said, softly, “Call out my name if anything untoward happens.”
Quanrui ducked his head, shielding Gyuvin from the shy smile taking over his face. Trust Gyuvin to utter such sweet words.
Finding it useless to respond, he made his way to one of the rooms, his dark red hanbok skirt fluttering behind him. The nights were getting colder now that they were headed into peak autumn, and he sighed in relief when he felt warmth blanketing him the moment he stepped into the room. The heat from the floor warmed his chilled, socks-covered feet.
He took in the string instrument, the guzheng, propped up against the wall, and the stacks of carefully chosen erotic poems piled neatly on the wooden desk in the centre of the room. The walls were blank but for a muted painting of nature, depicting a river flowing between lush trees and a green mountain lurking beyond. The painting brought about a sense of calmness in him, and he thought about the last time he was near a body of water. Madame seldom let them out, fearing that the courtesans might develop a taste for freedom. Oh, she could not let them have that.
Just then, he heard soft laughter in the hallway, the sound creeping nearer and nearer, and he quickly arranged himself into a dignified position on the floor near the table. He made sure the skirt fluttered prettily across the floor, and he assumed a nonchalant but elegant pose, one leg tucked towards his chest, elbow perched on top of his knee as he sat his face in his palm.
The door slid open, revealing a smartly-dressed Hanbin and one of the junior courtesans-in-training. The easy smile on Hanbin’s face dropped as he took him in, and Quanrui nodded at the boy to leave them be.
“Good evening, Hanbin-ssi.”
“Y–you’re beautiful,” he said, awe lacing his tone. Quanrui let his lips stretch into a small, gentle smile.
“You flatter me,” he said, eyelashes batting softly, playing the part to a tee. “Come, it’s warmer inside.”
Hanbin heeded his words, eyes never leaving his figure as he sat across from him. He was used to this kind of reaction from his customers, but it was the first time he met Hanbin in a private, intimate setting like this. Zhang Hao often told him of how gentlemanly Hanbin was, someone you could only dream of having as a customer, so being able to evoke such a reaction from someone who’d only been with Zhang Hao and no one else pleased him to no end. He wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“The boy will return with tea. I assume you prefer tea?”
“You assumed correctly,” Hanbin said, his voice husky, and yet soft all the same.
“I’m sorry for the short notice. Zhang Hao hyung seemed to have come down with an illness.” A quick gaze at the handsome man, then he dropped it back to the table. He almost chuckled at the awed look on his dear Zhang Hao-ge’s darling. “I’m sure I can entertain you just as well as Zhang Hao hyung could.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Hanbin replied easily, taking off his official hat and setting it on the table next to the piles of erotic poems.
Soft pattering of feet just outside of the door had him breaking his gaze away from Hanbin’s handsome face, and the boy came in with a tray full of teapot and two teacups. A few pieces of the delicacy, yakgwa, were served on a tiny porcelain plate.
“Thank you, Yujin,” Quanrui smiled, and Yujin sent him a polite smile before bowing and leaving them alone again.
“I apologise; I feel quite out of depth here. Zhang Hao usually—ah, but no matter,” Hanbin chuckled. Quanrui found the shy smile on his face quite fetching and the blush painting his cheeks appealing.
It was no wonder Zhang Hao wanted to keep this one all to himself.
“I take it you do not want to engage in… other activities with me, yes?”
The flush on his cheeks turned deeper, and Quanrui stifled a smile as he moved gracefully to fill up the teacups with hot tea. Most men usually didn’t bother drinking it, eager to get to the main event instead, but Hanbin took the cup with a long-fingered hand and politely nodded at him before taking a sip.
“The tea here is always the best.”
“Really?” Quanrui remarked, tilting his head in genuine curiosity.
“Quite, yes. Lotus tea, I love it. Couldn’t really get the same taste from other tea shops I’ve frequented somehow.”
“Hm, I shall pass the compliments to our tea lady. She is quite the talent in the kitchen. You will be wanting for nothing if she’s in charge.”
Again, the smile appeared, along with a set of dimples resembling kitten whiskers on the apples of his cheeks. Quanrui found himself deeper in fondness for this man who had taken Zhang Hao’s heart. If anything, he was relieved to know his beloved Hao-ge was in good hands. He hadn’t yet tried anything with Quanrui despite stealing unbelieving looks at him throughout the night so far.
“May I start?” He gestured towards the guzheng. “Do you have any preference?”
Hanbin appeared to be thinking, setting the empty teacup back down on the table. Quanrui traced his eyes along the lines of his face, marvelling at how small his face was, and how perfectly everything aligned. Truly, this man was blessed by the Gods.
“Anything, really. I am not picky.”
“You were deep in thought.”
That got a chuckle out of the older man. “Play me anything Quanrui, something sweet or melancholic. I would be your grateful audience regardless.”
Such sweet words. If he were to keep this up, Quanrui might just fall in love. But then, Gyuvin’s face appeared in his mind unbidden, and he bit his lip as he fetched the guzheng and laid it gently on the low wooden table. Damn Gyuvin and his annoying, puppy-like face. Even sweet words from a gentleman such as Hanbin couldn’t rival the fondness he had for his best friend.
He racked his brain for the suitable melody to play, and when he gazed upon the painting of the nature once more, he finally settled on a sweet and joyful melody that reminded him of clear, floating water, soaking the sun by the river while Gyuvin sat nearby, twisting poor flowers into a bracelet that he later wrapped around Quanrui’s dainty wrist.
As he played, Hanbin watched with rapt attention, eyelids appearing at half mast as he took in the sweet notes floating around the walls of the small room. Quanrui allowed a small smile on his face, chest filling with pride at the blatant display of appreciativeness by his sole audience. Even more so, memories of that one summer day by the river played in his mind, and he wondered if such an opportunity could ever arise again. Madame had seemed so crossed that they had returned to the house later than promised, and Gyuvin was forbidden from seeing him for two painful weeks.
A small shudder wracked his body, and then the music ended with a final soft note plucked on a single string. Hanbin immediately broke into an applause so loud that Quanrui blushed and ducked his head, a soft smile gracing his face.
A shadow fell over him, and before he knew it, a hand had tucked the stray hair falling out of his braid behind his ear, gentle as ever. He swallowed and met Hanbin’s eyes.
“You should be proud of yourself. You have quite the talent.”
“I’ve been trained since before I could talk,” he shrugged, affecting nonchalance while his face blazed at their proximity.
“I must have you at the ceremony. You mustn’t deny.”
“Ceremony?”
“Yes, of my and Zhang Hao’s engagement. He didn’t tell you? I was sure he only tried to get out of this meeting tonight because he was wracked with nerves,” Hanbin chuckled, a fond look crossing his face.
A pit, large and dark, opened up in his stomach, threatening to swallow him whole.
“I… You’ve bought him out of his contract?”
Hanbin nodded, his face turning serious as his gaze rove over his face.
“Are you all right? Have I said something out of line?”
Quanrui shook his head and tried to paste on a smile. “I’m happy… for the both of you. I will be there.”
Hanbin looked unsure, but he held him around the shoulders firmly. “Zhang Hao will be happy too, I’m sure. I understand you were quite close with each other.”
Quite close doesn’t even begin to cover it, he thought.
When Quanrui was fifteen, Zhang Hao had appeared at the house’s doorstep, filthy with grime and desperate for a job. Madame had taken one look at him and saw a diamond in the rough, and began training him as a courtesan despite him being past the usual age for training. Being the only person of Chinese descent in the house had always taken a toll on him; he’d always felt and looked differently than the others, and when he learned of Zhang Hao’s origins, they had quickly struck up a friendship that lasted to this day. He had taught Zhang Hao of the ways of the house and of being a courtesan, and in turn, Zhang Hao had taught him the ways of fending oneself, shielding him from harm the way only a big brother could.
He had always dreaded this day, of Zhang Hao being taken away from him. It didn’t lessen his panic in any way knowing that it was a kind man like Hanbin who had taken him, even though he knew he should’ve bowed and thanked the God that his gege were to be out of harm’s way with someone like Hanbin by his side.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Hanbin smiled, a genuine one that lit up his whole face. “You’re a good man, Quanrui. I thank you for your time tonight. I am pleased with you and shall be leaving a glowing review to your Madame. She should be proud to have you.”
Quanrui’s lips stretched into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Hanbin’s gaze swept over him one final time, though it lacked the lust usually accompanied by such gazes. And then he watched Hanbin pick up his hat and leave through the opened sliding door, his dark blue robe billowing behind him, sweeping chill air into the room.
“Princess?” Gyuvin’s worried voice carried through the wind, and Quanrui barely acknowledged it as he stared at the moon shining bright in the dark sky.
There was a small pond situated at the very back of the compound where Madame sometimes lounged at, smoking her death sticks. A lone wooden bench overlooked the pond and the high brick wall erected to separate the house from the forest. Sometimes, deep into the night, he found himself lingering around the place. It was probably the only place where he could truly find solace, the house more often than not filled with the hustle and bustle of the courtesans and rowdy men.
Gyuvin’s warm body sat carefully next to him on the bench, hands rubbing his own arms for warmth.
“You’ll catch your death out here, princess.” He registered Gyuvin draping the magoja around his shoulders before he huddled closer, long arm snaking around his waist. “I figured you’d be here when I couldn’t find you in the kitchen either.”
“I don’t snack at night,” he replied haughtily, sniffing.
“Of course, that deserved a response.”
“Leave me alone, Gyuvin.”
“What’s wrong? Did Hanbin—”
“No.” He had to shut that down quickly. Knowing Gyuvin, all sorts of murderous thoughts were already floating in his mind by now.
Gyuvin’s figure slumped in relief.
“Then, what is it? Don’t make me worry. I don’t like it when you brood.” The arm around his waist tightened, and Gyuvin rested his head on his shoulder.
“Did you know? About Zhang Hao hyung?”
The silence that went on for far longer than it should have was all the answer he needed. Of course Gyuvin had known, Madame had trusted him with the books on occasion. There was no way he didn’t know. He wasn’t sure what to make of Gyuvin hiding this fact away from him like this.
“I didn’t want to make it into a spectacle. Most courtesans would have wanted to spread the news, but Hao hyung had wanted me to keep it a secret. At least until he sorted whatever it was that needed sorting. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
He shrugged, feeling the hollowness in his chest grow. The mere fact that Zhang Hao himself didn’t think he could trust Quanrui with the news…
“I’m sure it had nothing to do with not trusting you,” Gyuvin added hurriedly, as if he could read Quanrui’s mind. “I’m sure deep down, he was nervous and afraid. He has been with us for so long, hasn’t he, that someone buying him his freedom must have felt… daunting.”
“I understand,” he said, prying Gyuvin’s arm away from his waist in order to keep some distance between them. He felt restless, body numb and not at all due to the cold.
“Princess…”
“Stop it, please. Can you allow me some space? That is all I ask. Please.”
Gyuvin dropped his arm as if burned, and Quanrui buried his head between his knees. Never mind that Madame’s shrill voice kept playing like a broken record in his ears, reminding him that a dignified courtesan should never be caught sitting with both knees tucked to his chest.
He wanted to cry, his throat burning with the urge to scream, but all that came out was a weak whimper and none of the tears he anticipated. Cicadas sang in the trees in the forest, and he reached out blindly for Gyuvin’s cold hand.
He choked on a whimper when Gyuvin’s hand met his, their fingers intertwining.
“I’m here, Quanrui,” he whispered, breaths brushing against his knuckles when he brought his hand to his lips.
“You can never leave me,” he said, lifting his head to meet Gyuvin’s determined eyes. His eyes burned with unshed tears, and Gyuvin cupped a hand around his cheek. “Promise me.”
“I swear to you. You’ll be seeing my annoying face for the rest of your life, princess, you’ll be wishing you could take it all back.”
That punched out a laugh from his throat, and he nodded, eyelids fluttering as Gyuvin sealed the deal with a kiss on each knuckle.
“How do you feel about Kim Quanrui?”
He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and Gyuvin nodded as if in agreement. “I guess I’ll just have to take your name then.”
Quanrui blushed, and Gyuvin’s thumb stroked the apples of his cheeks lovingly.
“Shen Gyuvin has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“Your fantasies are surprisingly domestic,” he teased, though his heart jumped in his throat at Gyuvin’s easy admission.
“You don’t know the half of it,” he admitted easily, and Quanrui felt something else choking him this time.
For so long, they had run circles around each other, never naming the emotions rising unbidden between them. At least Quanrui never had. One day, Gyuvin had fallen into his bed, desperate, just days away from his formal commencement as a courtesan, and Quanrui never questioned it, going along with it, wanting it. Oh, how he wanted.
Gyuvin was irritating, yes, but he was the only person who could soothe his worries, who was there for him from day one. Madame had told them the story once, drunk out of her mind, of discovering them dumped on the doorstep of the house with only a note tucked into the cloth wrapped around them: Kim Gyuvin. Shen Quanrui. 5 months old.
Gyuvin would often whisper in his ear on the nights he sneaked into his quarters that it was God’s plans all along that they were discovered together, that God knew Quanrui needed someone to protect him even then. He had snorted, and rolled his eyes. “You were a baby. How on earth could you ever protect me?”
Gyuvin snickered and ran his hands across his chest, pulling him impossibly closer. God knew how long he had been in love with his friend, but Madame’s constant threat over the punishments dolled out for fraternising with members of the house hung over his head like a noose. He may be a pining fool, but he wasn’t suicidal. Not like it stopped them from ever sneaking around and f*cking in places they shouldn’t be f*cking in, but he figured casual f*cking was a hundred times better than letting Gyuvin know how deeply in love he was with him.
“I believe in you, Gyuvin,” he said, voice barely above a whisper, referencing the conversation they had earlier this morning. Gyuvin’s eyes widened, and he unlaced their fingers to take Quanrui’s face in both of his hands.
“You mean it?”
He nodded, eyes closing as Gyuvin pushed their foreheads together. Gyuvin didn’t have to know that the chance of him being able to buy Quanrui his freedom was close to none, but for now, all he wanted was to have Gyuvin in his arms, suffocating him with his scent.
“I’ll prove you wrong, sweetheart,” Gyuvin chuckled, knowing the doubtful thoughts running in his mind anyway.
Quanrui sighed, wisps of breaths brushing against Gyuvin’s lips. He felt shivers wracking Gyuvin’s frame then, and he opened his eyes to Gyuvin staring at his face intensely.
“Let me kiss you.”
“I—we should—”
“Please, Quanrui.”
He licked his lips as he pulled away an inch, and Gyuvin tracked the movement like a predator in the picture books he once went through in the library.
Heart clenching, he nodded smally. Gyuvin wasted no time wrapping the back of his neck with his large hand and pulling him closer as he pressed their lips together in a shocking kiss. He had always reserved this for Gyuvin, all this time, a clause set in his contract that his customers were never to be allowed to kiss him on his lips. He should have known it was going to feel like this, the feel of Gyuvin’s chapped lips dragging across his plump ones sending shocks down his spine.
Gyuvin inched closer and inhaled Quanrui’s scent through his nose, tongue slithering into his mouth. He squeaked, his chest burning with the need to breathe, but Gyuvin wouldn’t let him pull away, the hand on his nape commandeering his head to tilt in a way that made it easier for Gyuvin to devour his mouth.
He laid his hands flat against Gyuvin’s chest, and Gyuvin fisted a hand around his hair and jerked him off his lips. Quanrui broke away from the kiss with a stuttered gasp.
“Tell me it’s only me, Rui,” Gyuvin whispered, foreheads pressed together once more, warm breaths brushing against Quanrui’s kiss-swollen lips.
He nodded, eyes closed, and Gyuvin let out a happy sigh before dipping his head to press another kiss on his lips.
“I’m the luckiest man on earth,” he said, giddy. Quanrui brushed their noses together, a smile tugging at his lips brought by Gyuvin’s infectious joy.
“I’m still a courtesan,” he reminded him, not unkindly.
Gyuvin tugged at the hair still wrapped around his fist, and Quanrui’s eyes flew open, pure want swimming in his gaze as he stared at Gyuvin’s smug face.
“And yet, you saved your kiss for me. I am lucky. Don’t you dare take this win away from me.”
Quanrui sighed, and Gyuvin loosened the hold around his hair.
“We’re doing this all wrong, aren’t we?” He said, hands bunching around Gyuvin’s sleeping top.
“Who has a say on what is wrong and what is right?”
“Madame, to start with,” he grumbled.
“Well, she can go to—”
He pulled Gyuvin by his top and planted a kiss on his big mouth, not willing to let him finish his blasphemous words.
Gyuvin’s figure melted in his hold, and Quanrui pressed another kiss on the corner of his mouth. It hadn’t even been a full hour and he was positive he was getting addicted to Gyuvin’s lips.
This was proving to be quite a mistake, but before he could let his mind run off with all the punishments Madame would dole out if they were to be found kissing like this, Gyuvin made a fist around his unstyled hair again and tugged at him so their foreheads realigned and they were breathing each other’s air.
“I’m here,” Gyuvin said, determination in his voice, and Quanrui closed his eyes, trusting him with his entire heart. “We’ll figure the rest out together. As long as I have you, princess, there is nothing I can’t do.”
They were pretty words, but Gyuvin hadn’t disappointed him yet throughout all these years, so what reason did he have to doubt him now?
So he chose the easier path, the path he knew would lead to a happy ending with Gyuvin, and believed.
