CHAPTER 9
Too much happened yesterday. He came home from that party late and exhausted.
Luckily Elena told them to come the next day for a couple of hours, they didn’t have to stay until the morning to clean.
Min-Jun was home by four, and now it was almost five o’clock, but instead of sleeping, his brain was running a marathon.
So, Aidan is into men too? And went upstairs with one. Probably to his bedroom. No… Surely to his bedroom. And I don’t even want to imagine what they were doing there.
Min-Jun groaned and covered his head with a pillow.
Min-Jun wished he had some kind of a button so he could turn off his thoughts and feelings about Aidan. He remembered what he dreamed the previous night and his cock instantly hardened.
He whimpered and cursed but bucked his hips into the mattress anyway.
***
Aidan was bending over the toilet bowl, emptying the contents of his stomach. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to drink so much, but he couldn’t control himself. Not that night. Not that day.
He needed to drink. He needed to drown his emotions and vivid images that flooded his mind. He had never felt this way before - so good and so bad at the same time.
Aidan always managed to keep everything under control – he couldn’t let anything dominate his life, not this boy, not even this desire for him.
I should stop thinking about you and think about something else instead...
As he tried to push his thoughts about Min-Jun away, haunting memories of his parents, biological parents resurfaced.
Feeling a knot in his stomach, Aidan threw up again.
A sudden knock on the door caused him to wince. The sound seemed louder than it would be if he was sober.
“Are you alright?”
It was his mother.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound good. Do you need anything?” she added.
“No. It just needs to pass.”
“I’ll leave a glass of water on your nightstand.”
Aidan frowned but said nothing. He hugged the porcelain, appreciating the cool against his face, and remained sitting on the tile floor with no desire and no strength to move.
***
Min-Jun worked the following week as usual. He didn’t see Aidan all that time; he didn’t seem to be home at all. He didn’t see him in his office, and he wasn’t there while they were having lunch. Min-Jun didn’t ask Elena about it, nor did she mention anything.
Min-Jun hated that Aidan wasn’t around, and once he had a break, he put on his warm long coat, went to the garden for a short walk hoping to spot him somewhere sitting and drinking his tea - even when the days were cold and it was most unlikely that Aidan would be there.
The only person he saw was a gardener. Min-Jun would usually just greet the man and pass by, but this time the old man stopped him for a short talk.
“So, young man, how do you like it here so far?” the gardener asked, heading in his direction.
“Good. It’s good. I have no complaints.” Min-Jun gave him a smile.
“You seem like a good young man. A bit unusual, taking on such a job, really, but a job is a job, and everyone needs money. I get it.” The man nodded to himself.
“Indeed,” Min-Jun agreed.
“You’re lucky to have come across this family. They are good people.”
Min-Jun broke their eye contact and looked into the distance. “Yeah…”
“I’ve worked in this house for too long.
I started working here back in the day while Mr. Wilton was still alive.
I mean Mr. Wilton’s grandfather,” the gardener explained while they strolled.
“They all lived in this house, but when the daughter was born and Mr. Wilton’s father got a new job, they moved out.
Mr. Wilton’s father is a doctor, and he got a better job opportunity in Windsor. ”
“Mr. Wilton has a sister?” Min-Jun asked, curious for more details about the family. And Aidan.
“She lives overseas. In Australia with her own family. She visits sometimes, but it’s challenging with kids around.”
Min-Jun carefully listened and nodded.
“Mrs. and Mr. Wilton are still hopeful of having more grandchildren, but Aidan has no interest in getting attached and starting a family. So, they might have to settle for two.” The old man chuckled.
Min-Jun remained silent. He had a good idea why Aidan might not want to get attached, and the answer was simple: he was a player. And such people hardly ever get attached. But then another thought struck him, as he remembered Elena’s words: Aidan is not their biological son.
He wanted to ask the old man about it, but he knew it would be awkward.
Min-Jun bit the inside of his cheek, thinking how hard it must be for Aidan while he was still a child.
He imagined himself being in such a situation, although he wasn’t far away.
His father disowned him although it wasn’t official, and he lived all by himself in a different part of the world, unsure about his future and without any security.
Min-Jun looked in front of himself and kept his pace with the gardener, who suddenly asked, “And what about you? Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Huh?” Min-Jun shot him a look and blinked a few times. “N-no. I don’t plan to jump into a relationship. Yet. At least until I finish my studies...”
“That’s wise.”
Min-Jun sighed, and his lips formed a thin line. He wasn’t sure if he could be considered wise, but he at least hoped he would not ruin his life with some poor decisions.
***
A week passed without any sign of Aidan, but when Min-Jun came on Tuesday, Aidan was in his workroom as usual.
“Good morning, Min-Jun,” he greeted him without looking up from his screen.
“Good morning.” Min-Jun felt relieved to see him, and nervous at the same time.
“Min-Jun, before you start working, I have a small request for you.” Aidan looked up at him and their eyes met.
Min-Jun tensed, wondering what awaits him next. “A request?”
“Can you make me a coffee?”
“Yes, sir.” Min-Jun felt lighter. It wasn’t anything complicated as he had feared.
“And, please, add a teaspoon of sugar.”
“Okay.” Min-Jun put the mop aside and left the room. He was back in about ten minutes with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. He placed the tray on Aidan’s desk and quickly withdrew.
“Thank you,” Aidan pulled the cup closer and began stirring.
Min-Jun hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Is that all?”
“Yes. For now.” Aidan didn’t meet his eyes this time.
Min-Jun turned, ready to wipe the floor. As he focused on his task, he heard clinking of porcelain and cursing. He looked at Aidan.
“What’s this?” Aidan looked at him with disgust on his face.
Min-Jun didn’t know what could cause such change in his behavior, so he asked, “What happened?”
“This tastes awful! And look at this mess...” Aidan looked at his lap. He had spilled coffee all over himself.
“I... I’m sorry! I don’t know what happened?” Min-Jun always had spare cloth with him, so he began wiping the table and Aidan’s soaked pants. He was careful not to touch the man’s crotch, although touching him in general felt wrong.
Aidan just watched, visibly taken aback and not knowing what to do or where to put his hands which remained half raised.
“I’m sorry,” Min-Jun said once more, feeling the heat climb up his face. He wished the Earth would swallow him. “Shall I make you a new coffee?”
“I’m not sure I want to risk it.” Aidan gave him that mysterious stare.
Min-Jun locked eyes with him and his face became even redder.
“Yes…” Aidan relaxed and looked away. “Take this and be careful not to mix salt and sugar again. Read what is written and not just what it looks like.”
“I’m really sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”
Aidan only nodded, and Min-Jun quickly disappeared from his sight. When he closed the door, he took a deep, shaky breath. “I’m such an idiot,” he muttered to himself and walked down the hallway to make another coffee.
***
Aidan was thinking about Min-Jun; he was unable to think about anything else in the last couple of days. He lay on his bed that night, ready to sleep when his phone rang. He answered without checking the caller. Only a few people had his personal phone number anyway.
“Where are you?” Becky’s voice rang on the other side.
“Home.”
“I haven’t heard from you all week.”
“I’m taking a break.”
“A break? You?” Aidan heard amusement in her voice.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sick or something?”
“I don’t think so. But I’ve been feeling off lately.”
“You mean bored?”
“Maybe a little bit bored too.”
“So why didn’t you call me? You know that I can quickly lift your mood,” Becky asked in her seductive tone.
Aidan stated dismissively, “I wanted to be alone.”
“You called Cade, didn’t you? You craved some dick,” she said teasingly, but Aidan heard tinge of jealousy.
“No. I really meant what I said,” Aidan reassured her.
“I’m sorry.”
“Becky... We’ve already talked about this.”
“I know.”
“If you think you can’t go on like this anymore, just tell me.”
“It’s not like that…”
“You have time to think.” Aidan looked at the watch. “I need to hang up now.”
***
Another cold and rainy day.
Min-Jun ran through the pathway and into the house. “Good morning,” he greeted Elena with a smile and quickly went to change into his maid-dress-uniform. He shivered as he changed, but inside the house was pleasantly warm.
Elena gave him assignments. First, he had to clean the living room then move into the kitchen. After that he would go his usual route, into the bedrooms to change the bedding.
Min-Jun took a short break when he finished his tasks at the ground level.
He sat at the table with a cup of tea and watched the rain outside the window.
He didn’t want to waste much time, so he drank quickly and wrote his mother a brief message.
She had wanted to call him yesterday, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk.
He climbed up the stairs at a steady pace and noticed that the door to Aidan’s bedroom was closed. Min-Jun thought it would be best to knock just in case.
“You can enter,” he heard Aidan’s voice from the other side and tensed.
Is he still in the bedroom?