First Encounter
Even though the words had left my mouth, for the following several days, neither Jeong-hee nor I mentioned the subject again. We figured we were breaking a taboo.
When the weekend passed and Monday arrived, the hellish routine began as usual. I crammed myself into the packed subway line 2, swaying with the crowd, and upon arriving at the office, I had to deal with the client’s deadline reminder email and the boss’s hysterical scolding.
Jeong-hee was no different. After work, exhausted, when she returned home and opened the front door, she was sitting blankly at the table organizing a bundle of receipts or collapsed on the bed.
Normally, she would have given me a light hug and said something like “It was tough today, wasn’t it?” But after that conversation, an oddly tense air had flowed between us. It wasn’t awkwardness. It was the silent tension of both of us continuing to mull over that ‘taboo’ in our minds.
On Wednesday night, I decided to break that taboo.
“Let’s try it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll give in. But after trying, I’ll regret it.”
That was my thought.
Secretly from Jeong-hee, I posted on the community and SNS.
“Looking for a Dom (Master) to train a couple. Age—early to mid-20s, economic level—at least enough to support two people.”
Since it was the first time posting, I wasn’t sure where to start or how, so I just posted it.
The phone kept vibrating. Normal college students. People smaller than me in build. Normal age or middle-aged. All were probes.
Even engaging in conversation was emotionally draining.
The next day. The same silence as yesterday continued, and Jeong-hee went to the bathroom to wash up. At that moment, a notification popped up at the top of the screen from the anonymous community app.
[I saw your couple personality seeker post and contacted you. After checking the profile, if possible, let’s meet at 2 PM this Saturday in the Gangnam area.]
It was a short, dry sentence, but all my heart was directed at him. The unknown pressure hidden in the unadorned tone.
I looked at Jeong-hee, who came out of the bathroom with her wet hair being dried with a towel. Jeong-hee in a loose t-shirt stopped abruptly when she sensed my gaze.
“……Jeong-hee.” “Huh?” “Do you have time on Saturday?”
Jeong-hee’s pupils shook. No more explanations were needed. Jeong-hee bit her lower lip without saying anything and nodded her head very slightly.
So Saturday came.
The meeting place was a quiet large bakery cafe near Gangnam Station. It was in the middle of the bustling area, but the seating spacing was wide and the lighting was good. It wasn’t a gloomy alley or motel area, but a normal daytime cafe, which made us less anxious but at the same time gave a strangely tense feeling.
“How do I look? Is my outfit okay?” “Yeah, it’s neat. I’m fine too, right?”
I checked our reflections in the revolving door as we entered the cafe. I was wearing a linen shirt and slacks that I had taken a bit more care with than usual, and Jeong-hee was in a neat beige blouse and a skirt that reached her knees. On the surface, it looked like a normal 30s working couple who had come out for a weekend date.
But my heart was pounding as if right before opening the door to an interview room.
He only said “Second floor” around 1:30 and there was no more talk after that.
We had been constantly doubting but came to the cafe with the intention of going on a date if nothing else.
When we got to the second floor, we saw a man sitting by the large window at the far end. Somehow, it felt like him. Both of us felt the same.
We cautiously moved our steps towards that direction. As we got closer, the man’s appearance came into view.
He looked like he was in his early to mid-20s at most. His youthful appearance hadn’t completely faded, but his forearms visible over the thin shirt sleeves and the broad shoulders that filled the chair backrest were noticeable. Anyone could see he had a sturdy build from having exercised for quite some time.
We approached the table with our footsteps muffled.
“Excuse me… Are you Mr. Nickname ‘K’?”
I said hesitantly.
But the man ignored my words and didn’t lift his head. Tap, tap. The sound of his agile fingers typing on the laptop keyboard continued for a few seconds. On the monitor, various numbers, graphs, and code-like things were densely written.
Only after tapping the enter key once did the man slowly lift his head, as if shooing away an annoying fly. Then, pointing with a nod to the empty chair opposite, he said.
“Yes, sit and wait.”
Without getting up from his seat, the man leaned his back deeply into the chair and scanned us from top to bottom. It was a gaze that was arrogant to the point of rudeness and devoid of any extra.
Instantly, a surge of emotion rose from a corner of my chest.
“What? A young kid…”
As a working adult in my 30s, my pride was hurt by the fact that a brand-new young guy who should have been in his 20s at most, who probably took the subway, was staring at his laptop without even a basic greeting.
If a junior employee at work had shown this attitude, I would have shot back a word long ago.
Swallowing the words I was about to say into my throat due to the indifferent voice, the relaxed attitude, and the overwhelming physical difference felt up close.
The tight shoulders and slightly protruding belly from frequent overtime contrasted with the 20s’ unique taut vitality and male hormone aura.
That was suppressing the air without saying a word.
I sat in the chair awkwardly, checking Jeong-hee’s reaction. Jeong-hee, as if suppressed by the man’s aura, sat quietly next to me, clutching the blouse fabric tightly.
The silence lasted quite a while. After about 10 minutes, I said with a bit of agitation.
“What are you doing sitting here alone?”
The man, unfazed, didn’t close the laptop screen but picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, staring straight at Jeong-hee’s face.
“You said you want to do couple training?”
The man’s low voice crossed the table.
The moment our secret was casually revealed through this bright daytime cafe by a young man in his 20s was our greatest shame.
Jeong-hee answered.
“Yes? Yes…”
The man said shortly and firmly.
“Wait.”
As soon as I heard those words, I tried to pull Jeong-hee out, but Jeong-hee held my hand tightly, stopping me from standing up. I suppressed my agitation and followed Jeong-hee’s opinion.
Jeong-hee was staring at the floor, waiting for him. About 30 minutes passed, and the man closed his laptop and said.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Hyeon-seok.”
The man smiled and greeted.
“Hello. I’m Choi Jeong-hee.”
Jeong-hee greeted quietly.
“I’m Kim Ji-seok.”
I greeted too.
“Ji-seok-ssi, Jeong-hee-ssi.”
Kim Hyeon-seok rolled our names on his lips once each, then lightly touched his chin and smiled. The cool and arrogant attitude when we entered the cafe was gone, and his face looked like a kind business salesman or a friendly university junior.
But the air behind that gentle smile was not soft at all.
“I’m currently doing small-scale foreign exchange dealing in the financial sector, and I just hurriedly processed some data from the US side regarding swap points.”
The man casually spilled his background. Even in the midst of it, there was no apology.
The relaxed demeanor of a young man in his early 20s running his own business and handling work even on weekends was far from my shabby office life, where I have to check the boss’s eyes every day and jump around with the approval stamp.
“Ah… I see. You started your business early.”
I answered awkwardly, trailing off.
The humiliation of having been neglected for 30 minutes by a guy who looked at least 5-6 years younger than me filled my throat, but due to the man’s arrogant attitude, his firm and clear tone, and being overwhelmed by the atmosphere, I couldn’t say the rough words.
Hyeon-seok showed no particular interest in my reaction and secretly turned his gaze to Jeong-hee sitting next to me.
Jeong-hee was still fidgeting with her two hands neatly folded on her lap. The collarbone and earlobes visible on her blouse were blushing red.
Hyeon-seok’s eyes narrowed.
“Jeong-hee-ssi is a company worker?”
“Yes… I’m working in the accounting department at a trading company.”
“Ah, it must be tiring staring at numbers every day.”
The man’s voice was subtly languid. Then, he deliberately leaned his upper body forward and propped his arm on the table. The shirt buttons slightly opened, revealing the firm neckline and collarbone overtly.
“As for the preference, I heard both of you are subs… Exactly what kind do you want?”
The words that came out casually from the man’s mouth made Jeong-hee flinch and lower her head.
The situation itself, where such explicit words were exchanged in a crowded cafe in the bustling area during daytime, evoked enormous shame. My heart was hammering uncontrollably fast.
“That… We were trying to match each other, but since we both want to be led, that’s the type we are.”
I swallowed hard and answered instead. It was a desperate attempt to not completely lose the initiative.
But Hyeon-seok half-listened to my words, propped his chin, and chuckled.
“Lead? Or, just completely dominated and submissive?”
A direct and sharp question was nailed to the table.
“Formal dates or consideration, you’ve probably had enough of those from Ji-seok-ssi. What Jeong-hee-ssi really wants isn’t that, right?”
Hyeon-seok added, staring intently at Jeong-hee’s eyes.
Jeong-hee’s breathing became rough. Jeong-hee couldn’t answer and bit her lower lip tightly, but the man precisely understood that this reaction itself was already affirmative.
On the palm of the young man, our secret desires were completely dismantled.
My pride was at rock bottom, but at the same time, an eerie heat began to slowly rise in my pants.