Into The Thrill

Apologies for the confusion earlier. Here's the translation in the third person:

With an unclear response, he turned around and made a gesture to his friends, who seemed confused. It was a gesture that clearly said, "You guys handle it on your own." Whether it meant they should be surprised or that they should leave, the gesture was unmistakable—he was to step aside and let them deal with it.
As he tried to lay his head on the table, the man’s hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up. He kept holding onto him, as if telling him to sit up straight.
"Are you already drunk? You don’t seem to have drunk that much. Did you just finish work?"

"Why does it matter? A person I’ve never met before."
A person he’d met for the second time bothered him, and now even a stranger was bothering him. He didn’t want to meet anyone to show off to Hyun Woojin, who probably didn’t care about him anymore. That was the reason he came here, but now it seemed pointless. When he tried to forget about Hyun Woojin through someone else, even that attempt felt bothersome. He had Hyun Woojin’s photo and voice on his phone, so today he just wanted to look at the photo and hear his voice. He didn’t want anything else interfering.
"I thought I was going to collapse earlier."

"You’re not that drunk."
He brushed off the hand that was holding him, thinking he might fall. He sat back up, propped his chin, and turned on his phone. He searched for the audio file and played it. The sound was muffled by the music, and it was hard to hear. He leaned in close to the phone on the table and held it to his ear.
―Yes.
This is my friend’s good friend.

―Hello. Please speak. You don’t have to worry about eavesdropping.
Mr. Mun Haewon will crawl on all fours first.
―For whistleblower protection and compensation, further measures will be taken, I promise. Hello?
Should I date?
―Is it hard to talk about? I will start location tracking with this number.

I’ll buy you bread.
If you greeted me well, that’s enough. I’ll call later.
And you need to play for me. Even if you don’t like people seeing, you should do it in front of me.

His voice kept echoing in his mind. The alcohol that soaked his brain and body made his emotions swell, and if someone poked him now, he would surely cry.
I told you to take it off only in front of me. I really only wanted to take it off in front of you, and for the first time, I felt that way for a specific someone, but now, if this ends like this, what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to handle this on my own?
"Hey, are you asleep?"

The man who hadn’t left, still standing behind him, poked Haewon’s back and stroked it. Feeling the touch of another person on his back, Haewon sat up and dialed Hyun Woojin. He didn’t pick up the first or second calls. Even on the third call, the man didn’t take his hand off Haewon’s back and shoulder.
He let go of the hand that was slowly stroking him and, after the fourth call, Hyun Woojin finally answered. He was sure Hyun Woojin would threaten him not to call again. Before he could say anything, Haewon spoke first.
"Someone’s buying me bread. What should I do? Can I just eat it? Didn’t you say no? You said no one else is allowed, and you’d destroy the family. But now, now… is that still the case? Are we done? We’ve been together for a year."
―Don’t call me. It’s disturbing.

"Are we really done?"
―I’ll block you, so delete my number too.
"You told me not to take off my clothes in front of other guys… can I take them off now?"

―Hang up.
"Hyung…"
―…

"I was wrong. I… I was wrong."
Tears fell down his cheeks. Trying not to let him hear him crying, he wiped his face with the back of his hand and swallowed. His throat hurt.
"Is it really something wrong enough to end like this? You know I speak without thinking, right?"

―Haewon.
"I miss you. I feel like I’m going to die from missing you."
―This is uncomfortable.

"You bastard."
―…
"Why is everything so easy for you? I’m dying here, and what’s so easy for you?"

―Whether it was a misunderstanding or the truth, you’re the one who didn’t look back.
He thought he might say that, but hearing his voice made him feel like his ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) world was collapsing.
"I was scared. I was scared that you really might be like that, that you could be that kind of person. Do you know how I felt then? I didn’t know what to do, that’s why I did it."

Haewon was clinging to him. The man who had been patting his back was now gone.
―Is leaving me the way you don’t know how to handle me?
"It’s not like that."

―If it was true, if I really was involved with Hae-young’s little sister, is it natural for you to abandon me?
"…"
―You treated me like trash.

"No."
―Stop. I’m hanging up.
"Wait, just a second."

The call was cut off. He stared blankly at the black phone screen as tears fell from his eyes. He bit his lip hard and swallowed the sobs, but tears kept coming out. A handkerchief gently wiped his face, and he looked up. The man who had disappeared earlier reappeared and offered him the handkerchief, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Did you break up with your boyfriend?"
"…"

"If it were me, I’d never break up… You’re a real crazy bastard."
He took the handkerchief with the faint scent of wood and pressed it tightly to his eyes. His nostrils were red, and so were his eyes. He wiped his nose and handed the handkerchief back to him. Haewon quickly grabbed his coat and paid with a card.
When he left the bar, the cold air, which was shifting from fall to winter, scraped his face and neck. The man who had hurriedly followed him out came close and, after finally putting on his coat, stood there stupidly and approached Haewon.

"Want to have one more drink? Listening to other people is my specialty."
"No thanks."
"Don’t be like that, talking will make you feel better. I’ll swear with you."

"…"
"Bastard, piece of shit, idiot. No lie, that guy is really crazy. You know the people in the bar saw you crying while making that call, right?"
"Guess they watched because it was an interesting sight. Do you think they looked at me crying because they were sad?"

He was still terribly sad, but hearing him talk about him crying while making the call only made it worse. He lifted his eyes to the dark city sky, trying to look at something far away on purpose.
"It’s not that. You just can’t stop watching. You keep looking. Because you’re crying there, you just keep watching. You just… want to see that face."
"Do you really think so?"

"Yes."
He answered seriously, as if to say it was true.
"But what’s wrong with that bastard? Why does he want to end it? I told him I was wrong, so why is he doing this?"

"I told you. He’s crazy. When you said you were sorry earlier, it felt like my heart was melting."
Ugh, he made a strange sound and rubbed his chest. An apology that touches someone else’s heart doesn’t help. The person who should hear it wasn’t listening. Neither the apology, the crying, the pleading, nor the begging—he wasn’t listening to any of it.
Was this really the end? This, this was the end of everything that started when he ignored Taeshin. It was all so pathetic and meaningless.

What should he do? It was Hyun Woojin who was the first to make him like someone, the first to make him long for someone, and now, what was he supposed to do?
Ah, he felt like he was going to lose his mind.
Haewon couldn’t think of passing this through as just a rite of passage for a broken heart. This was the first time his emotions and body were so intensely drawn to one person.

Haewon took a deep breath of the cold air, letting it out slowly. The white breath scattered in the air. He thought about Hyun Woojin, who had coldly hung up the phone after he apologized through his tears, and he tightly closed his eyes and opened them again. In the end, Hyun Woojin was the one he had to forget.
"What should I do?"
"What for?"

"How should I forget this bastard?"
"Well, drink with me, and I'll tell you."
Haewon followed him, mindlessly watching his back as they walked. As they slowed down, the man grabbed Haewon's hand and led him, and soon he found himself holding hands with a man he had never met before. Coming to his senses, he realized they were standing in front of what seemed like a motel room.

The man used a card key to open the door and pulled a hesitating Haewon inside.
Hyun Woojin's manner of cutting off was not affectionate but brutally cold, devoid of the slightest courtesy. It was a tone that discouraged and repelled.
"Sit down. What do you want to drink? Soju, beer, or maybe something stronger? Whatever you want."

"Anything."
It was his first time in a motel, not a hotel. The room looked similar to a hotel room with an abnormally large bed and a glass-walled bathroom visible from the outside.
The man took off his coat, hung it on a protruding hook, made a phone call to order some alcohol and snacks, and after specifying the room number, he hung up. He approached the dazed Haewon.

"Sit down."
He pointed to a green wing chair next to a small table and motioned for Haewon to take off his coat. Once Haewon handed it over, the man hung it beside his own. As Haewon looked around unfamiliarly, the man asked,
"Is this your first time at a place like this?"

"I've never had a reason to come."
"Really?"
It seemed he was often at such places. The man sat on the opposite wing chair, incredulously asking,

"Where did you meet your ex? Normally?"
"At home."
"Do you live alone?"

"It's none of your business."
He didn't press further and just quietly laughed as if he already knew everything.
The window draped with curtains did not overlook a cityscape or street but faced another wall. The red and blue neon signs flickered through the curtains.

"How old are you?"
"It's none of your business. Just teach me how to forget quickly."
"That's too quick."

"What is?"
"The fastest way to forget an ex is to find someone new. Get caught up and enjoy each other, and soon you'll forget."
Hyun Woojin had to be forgotten, erased somehow by someone else. Meeting someone new would eventually help him forget, even if not immediately.

Then a knock came. The man stood up to open the door and received a bag. He spread chicken, beer, and soju on the small table.
"If you want to forget him quickly, come this way."
He pointed to the bed. Haewon looked at the unusually large bed. It seemed to be king-sized, not queen.

"Why is the bed so big?"
Haewon asked, and the man, as if he had never considered it, stared at the bed before responding,
"Some beds are made for two, but some need to accommodate more."

"..."
"People of all sorts come to these places."
He was subtly making crude remarks. Haewon pretended not to notice and downed the beer he was given. The room felt warm, or perhaps it was the beer that cooled his chest.

Being ruthlessly rejected by Hyun Woojin, it wasn't sorrow that overwhelmed him but a numbness. It felt like he had been slapped hard. Yet it seemed he had walked a cold distance, still slightly drunk.
"I should at least know your age to figure out if we should call each other older or younger brother."
"I'm done with being 'older brother.'"

"Then I'll be the younger one. You look younger, but I'll be the younger one."
"Suit yourself."
His throat was dry. Even drinking beer didn't quench his thirst. The 'younger brother' took the beer can from Haewon's hand, advising him to drink slowly.

"But how did you and that bastard break up, 'brother'?"
He took a sip of beer and looked intently at Haewon.
"We fought. I told him to get lost because I thought he was playing with me."

"And that pissed him off, so he wanted to end things with you?"
"Don't call him that. He's much older than you."
"Then, that 'mister'?"

The way 'younger brother' referred to Hyun Woojin as 'mister' made Haewon burst out laughing, curious if he could be so casual in front of Hyun Woojin. The cruelty native to that dry, black forest of eyes, just watching him could make someone tense.
"He's not a mister. He's older than me."
"Looks like you still like him if you're talking about forgetting."

"No, I don't like him."
"Ah, damn, you're so cute. Really want to devour you fast."
"More beer, please."

The 'younger brother' handed him another beer. Haewon took a sip. Whether the taste was off, or it was his taste buds, the beer felt strange going down. His body gradually lost strength and slumped. Haewon leaned back heavily into the wing chair, letting his head loll back.
"Are you drunk already? We haven't even started, 'brother.'"
"..."

What if I can't forget? What if he keeps coming to mind?
Why is that?
Haewon wanted to call Taeshin, to talk at him like he had listened to unwanted chatter, to spout things Taeshin wouldn't care or want to hear. He wanted to talk to Taeshin.

Haewon's eyes half-closed as his head dropped. The man's hand wavered before him. He was conscious but couldn't control his body.
"Ah, did I put too much in?"
He muttered as he approached and lifted Haewon's head to look into his eyes. Their eyes met. He was an attractive man.

"Brother, are you alright?"
"..."
"Can't talk, huh? Can't move your body either?"

Instead of nodding, Haewon blinked his eyes. The man hugged Haewon's side, lifting him with a grunt onto the bed. Haewon half-watched his actions with his eyes open. It wasn't unpleasant, but a sinister sense like dense smoke began to cloud his consciousness.
"I shouldn't have done this."
He muttered to himself as he fully pulled Haewon onto the bed and adjusted the pillow behind his head.

"Don't be mad when you wake up. If you don't like it, blink twice."
The man leaned close and spoke to Haewon, who blinked twice. After a moment of contemplation, the man laid down longwise and slightly turned Haewon's face toward him. His face appeared close.
"Sorry, but I can't hold back. Fuck, how could I."

Haewon felt his cheek being gripped as the man pressed his lips against his. The hot lips and thick tongue plundered his mouth. Haewon couldn't even twitch a finger.
He was not naive; he was a fool. Just after being dumped by Hyun Woojin, who had told him it was really over, to never contact him again, everything felt twisted.
After breaking up with him, everything seemed a mess. Haewon barely managed a weak sound of disapproval. Though it was barely a moan, the man stopped and pulled away, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

"I won't hurt you. I'll use a condom. Okay?"
Haewon blinked twice. The man pretended not to see his disapproval. As the man began to undress him, drugs clouded his consciousness until everything blurred and then turned pitch black. Haewon closed his eyes.