Ball-Boy Tactics

“…”

“Jiwon, look at me.”

Kwon Jungwoo gently held my face, guiding my gaze toward him. The only way left to hide my face now was to embrace him.

I reached out and wrapped my arms around his neck. Just as I thought I had successfully hidden the trembling of my chin from him, Kwon Jungwoo flipped me over and laid me down. In an instant, my head sank into the soft mattress. Now, I was lying beneath him, helpless, with my tears streaming down the sides of my temples.

“Don’t cry.”

His beautiful hands softly brushed away my tears. Those hands, far too precious to be used for something so trivial, continued to tend to my tears with such care.

What could he be thinking?

Kwon Jungwoo quietly looked down at me, wiping away the tears that kept flowing without pause. I wasn’t sure if these tears were falling because something deep inside had been comforted or if it was the relief of finally being allowed to cling to him. Regardless, they soaked not only my face but also his warm hands that wiped them away.

“What were you struggling with all by yourself?”

His tender, comforting voice felt warmer than ever before.

“…It wasn’t that hard.”

“Were you really jealous?”

“…”

“So, when you mentioned other people, was it to make me jealous in return? If that’s the case, I feel like everything will be okay.”

That wasn’t my intention at all, but seeing his hopeful expression, I couldn’t bring myself to admit the truth. Instead of answering, I gave him a faint, awkward smile.

He must have wanted to feel the slight movement of my lips. Kwon Jungwoo’s thumb softly touched the corner of my mouth, tracing its curve. Focusing on the slow movement of his finger, I quietly whispered the words I hadn’t finished saying earlier.

“I’m sorry for not giving you the trust you deserved.”

“Go on. Say whatever else you want to.”

“I missed you, Jungwoo.”

“Yeah… to be honest, that’s what I wanted to hear the most.”

His hand, which had been wiping away my tears, now pushed back my hair, softly caressing the rim of my ear. I turned my head slightly toward his hand, and Kwon Jungwoo, realizing what I wanted, gently stroked my cheek. Despite the warmth of the summer night, all I wanted was to press myself closer to his burning warmth. I didn’t care if I ended up consumed by it.

At this point, it felt almost shameless to say that we had anything in common. Kwon Jungwoo had become too precious for someone like me. When would 22-year-old Han Jiwon be able to truly support him? I set myself a new goal, despite the childish tears I had just shed, still clinging to habits I’d picked up as an athlete.

“…If my possessiveness ever becomes too much for you, let me know. I’ll try to manage it….”

“Don’t even think about managing it. If that happens, I might really retire from basketball and run straight to you.”

“I’ll do my best, Jungwoo.”

“You don’t have to. Just stay by my side.”

As our eyes locked, the heat between us became almost tangible. Kwon Jungwoo’s face drew closer, until I could feel the steady rhythm of his breath at a distance where our noses nearly touched.

“Now that I know how you feel, if you ever fall, I’ll be right here to catch you. So you don’t have to do anything—just stay.”

“…”

“I missed you too, Jiwon.”

With those final words, Kwon Jungwoo pressed his lips against mine.

***

“Mm, ugh! Jungwoo… ugh….”

The sex that followed, reignited by his deep kiss, drew out every carnal desire I had. Each thrust from Kwon Jungwoo made my erection stiffen, and I came several times, releasing streams of colorless fluid.

Completely overwhelmed by a mix of shame and arousal, Kwon Jungwoo kept confessing his love to me, even as he continued to drive me wild with desire.

“Ha, I love you, Han Jiwon.”

“Ahh, me… too, haah….”

“Say it properly… ha….”

“Ahh… I love, ugh, love you, Jungwoo….”

Kwon Jungwoo’s cock, already impossibly hard, somehow grew even stiffer as he thrust into me, each movement of his thick, solid length rubbing against my sensitive insides.

My legs trembled on either side of him as I took him in. Kwon Jungwoo licked at my toes and then gently laid me on my side, pulling out momentarily. The feeling of his cock sliding out, ridged and unyielding, sent shivers through my body. But before I could even feel the emptiness, he raised my left leg and thrust back into me, filling me completely once again.

Every time Kwon Jungwoo’s hips bucked, the bed creaked beneath us, and I cried out in pleasure. I grabbed and released the damp sheets repeatedly, overwhelmed with arousal. He slipped his fingers into my mouth, and even though drool was dribbling out, I obediently sucked on them, desperate to please him.

My feet, tensed from pleasure, were on the verge of cramping, but I didn’t care. My brain was too intoxicated with desire to think about anything else. Even if the world knew about our sex, I couldn’t care less in this moment.

“Jungwoo, haah, I… ugh… I’m….”

Before I could even finish my sentence, I felt my cock twitch, and with one final, earth-shattering thrust, I came. The pleasure of orgasm caused my thighs to convulse, my inner walls tightening and releasing rhythmically.

Kwon Jungwoo’s cock, which had been ruthlessly pounding into my deepest spots, seemed to react to the same sensation. With a low groan, he pushed himself as deep as possible, making his cock throb as he filled me. His long, slow release followed.

“Haah… haah….”

As the bed’s creaking subsided, the room was filled only with the sound of our heavy breathing.

Kwon Jungwoo let go of my legs and kissed me from behind. Twisting my head to meet his kiss felt more intense than usual. I wanted to fully turn around and kiss him properly, but with his cock still buried inside me, I couldn’t move. Unlike when he wore a condom, Kwon Jungwoo stayed inside me for a long while after.

“Haah, Jungwoo… Let me go wash up for a sec. Just a moment… ugh… ah, Jungwoo.”

But instead of letting me up, he pressed firmly on my hips and slowly began moving again. My still-sensitive insides quickly reignited with arousal as his slow thrusts sent waves of pleasure coursing through me once more.

“Haa… We’ve already done it four times, ugh…”

“There’s water here, too. You can wash with this, Jiwon.”

“What… What are you saying…! Ah!”

“I’m saying I love you.”

Kwon Jungwoo casually spoke as he thrust his penis in again, as if starting fresh. His stamina was unbelievable, especially for someone who had spent the whole day exercising and had flown straight here from Jeju Island.

Normally, I would have held on somehow, but recently, fatigue had piled up, and the continuous orgasms and ejaculations were pulling me deeper into the pit of sleep.

Even when I could barely keep my eyes open, Kwon Jungwoo continued to ravish my body. Through my half-closed eyelids, he looked like a ravenous wolf, as if he was about to devour me whole. I couldn’t help but laugh, even in my exhausted state, remembering how I had once compared him to a wolf pretending to be a cub.

He told me to save my energy so we could go on for longer, which made me stop laughing quickly, but the love sinking deep into my chest continued to spread uncontrollably.

***

The weather in Jeju Island greeted me with warmth as we landed.

Walking through the airport arrival gates, my heart was filled with excitement. It had only been a few days since I last saw Kwon Jungwoo, but the sweet conversations we shared during that time made me miss him even more. It wasn’t an aching longing, but a pleasant thrill.

The day after we spent the night at a secluded motel, I finally convinced the stubborn Kwon Jungwoo to return to Jeju, though it wasn’t without conditions. He made a reluctant face as if he had no choice but to go.

The first condition was that I would visit Jeju. We sealed this promise with a handshake, or rather, I was forced into it. It felt a bit like a rushed deal, but I decided not to overthink it this time, just as Kwon Jungwoo had dropped everything to come to me. For the first time in my life, I was planning a little escape.

The second condition was that I would buy a new phone.

I agreed to match Kwon Jungwoo’s phone model, which was the latest one. This time, I willingly shook hands on it. But to my shock, when I thought he had just gone out to a convenience store, he returned with the phone fully paid for. I almost fainted. It’s not like he had a steady income like I did with my gold medal pension, so where did he get the money?

Then Kwon Jungwoo shamelessly replied, saying he’d be earning a lot once he joined a professional team. He caused an uproar in the Jeju accommodation.

From the stacked messages, it was easy to tell what the atmosphere had been like at the basketball team when Kwon Jungwoo disappeared.

I had been worried that he got into serious trouble, but when I talked to Kwon Jungwoo later that afternoon, his voice was so bright and cheerful. I could practically see the coach tearing his hair out.

Because I was wearing a cap pulled low in business class, nobody recognized me. My steps quickened as I made my way through the arrivals gate. Just thinking about Kwon Jungwoo waiting beyond those doors made me want to sprint toward him.

As soon as the gate opened, I scanned the crowd waiting for their loved ones. It didn’t take long to spot Kwon Jungwoo, towering over the others. Even from afar, his height and good looks made him stand out. He quickly found me too, our eyes meeting instantly. I smiled brightly and walked toward him.

When I got close enough, he removed his cap. I could hear people around us recognizing me, but I ignored them and passed through the crowd.

“Well done.”

Kwon Jungwoo extended his hand as if to shield me from the crowd.

I gladly took his large hand. With Kwon Jungwoo by my side, I felt invincible, like there was nothing to fear in the world.

The space untouched by the sun is bitterly cold and dark.

When you think about it, the default state of the world was pitch-black darkness, and the warmth and brightness we cherish were rare.

Is it okay to get used to this precious, treasured light? I hesitated for a moment under the blazing sun as I exited Jeju Airport, but I took another step forward, cutting through the light.

Even when I tightly closed my eyes and the whole world turned to darkness, I wasn’t afraid. The sun hadn’t disappeared; I had simply closed my eyes.

“It’s okay. You can open them now.”

When I opened my eyes to the gentle voice, I saw Kwon Jungwoo shading me with his hand.

“This is a special hat, just for Han Jiwon.”

He said it so naturally with a bright, clear face that I couldn’t help but smile.

My world was expanding, slowly but surely, continuing to grow.

I no longer needed to remain still. As long as I was with Kwon Jungwoo, it didn’t matter if we reached the edge of the universe.

I had Kwon Jungwoo’s smile, warmer than the sunlight.