His whole body ached. Especially his hamstrings.
The pain was his fault, for thinking of unnecessary things. You brought this upon yourself, Kuji reprimanded himself internally as he sat up on the bed.
Nango, as always, was sitting at the table checking Kuji's phone. He inserted the memory chip into his own phone and opened the image file.
"Uh-huh," he grunted. "Song told you to keep a watch on this guy?"
"He didn't tell me to keep watch. He said that he wanted to know what he was up to. That's why I offered..."
Nango gave him an exasperated look. "Are you Song's S, now? Don't stick your nose in things you don't need to."
"But you said so yourself. You told me to report whatever Song seems to take an interest in."
"Whatever," Nango dismissed as he put the cell phone away. "We'll look this guy up. So, what exactly about this guy bothers Song?"
"I don't know."
"Fine, whatever," Nango said again as he stood up.
"Nango, I want to ask you something."
"What?"
"Who is Song, really?"
"That's none of your business." Nango suddenly approached the bed and grabbed at Kuji's groin. He clamped his hand around Kuji's balls and twisted them hard. Kuji screamed in pain and collapsed on the bed.
"See? This is what you get when you ask stupid things. Even worse, it'll cost you your life. It's for your own good that you don't know."
Kuji was writhing in pain, but nevertheless looked up at Nango with tear-filled eyes.
"Cheon...wang..."
"What?"
"Song said... Cheon-wang. Said... he was born... there."
Nango knitted his brow thoughtfully. "That was pretty clumsy of him to give that away. Not like him at all."
Nango went back to the table and sat back down in the chair. He pulled out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and put it in his mouth.
"Or did he trust you that much?" He let out a slow puff of smoke. "Cheon-wang is a village in the North. It's close to the border with China."
"North...? Is that... a problem?" Kuji asked as he massaged his balls, trying to distract himself from the pain. Nango gave him a look that said, "Don't be stupid." But he soon shrugged and took a long drag.
"Well, I guess even an S for Public Safety wouldn't necessarily be well-versed in international affairs. An idiot like you probably wouldn't read the paper, either. Maybe that's what makes you an ideal S. All you guys have to do is carry out what you've been ordered to do. When you start having your own thoughts is when you start sticking your nose into things that are none of your business."
Nango ground his cigarette butt in the ash tray as he stood up and approached Kuji again. When Kuji looked at him in fear, he grinned, reached out, and ruffled his hair.
"We think he's a sleeper for the North. Eventually someone is bound to appear who will make contact with him. Be a good boy and stick with him until it happens. Don't sleep with him, though. You've got the hots for him and you'd probably blabber everything in bed. You'd be the one to get caught in the honey trap. That's all the more reason why it's best for you not to know."
"He won't," Kuji blurted out without thinking.
"What?"
"He won't sleep with me."
"That's too bad. You'd want him to fuck you, wouldn't you?" Nango ran his large hand from Kuji's head to his chin and gripped it like a vice.
"But you're my S. You remember that."
The fingers stopped on the keys, and the last chord faded along with the singing voices.
"Thank you," a man's happy voice said in clumsy Japanese. Song's low voice followed.
"Let's decide on a date for your ceremony, then. Hmm, you said your witness would be a friend of yours? And the people attending your wedding would be..."
Kuji closed the lid on the organ as he listened to the voices behind him. He disguised the pain he felt in his joints as he quietly retreated to the kitchen.
Song returned as Kuji was having a drink of water. He still had his surplice on over his vestments as he approached Kuji and peered down at him with a worried look.
"Masatake, has someone done something bad to you? You look like you're in pain."
"Not really," Kuji said shortly as he shrank away. "Today's guy was just a little on the kinky side, that's all."
Song's thick eyebrows remained drawn together.
"You, um... you do use a condom, right?"
"Damnit, I do! Just leave me alone!"
The burning knot in Kuji's chest stirred up a surge of emotions that burst out of him in a yell.
"It's all your fault!" he shouted. "If you'd sleep with me, I wouldn't have to go and find someone else!" I wouldn't have to moan as Nango fucks me. I would've been spared from stroking his ego and making him think he's not as clumsy as he is.
And he has the nerve to tell me that I look like I enjoy his cock. Fucking bastard. It's not like I have a choice. It's because Song won't sleep with me.
"It's all your fault!"
He knew his anger was misdirected, but he couldn't help but direct it at something. He clung to Song as he yelled.
"Just once, come on! You probably suck, anyway, right? Just sleep with me once, and I'll know how bad you are and I won't have to think about you like this all the time. After that, I promise I'll never ask again. Set me free, will you?"
Song was silent as he circled his arms around Kuji. He wrapped him in an embrace as if he were soothing a child with a tantrum.
"Maybe you're right. Masatake, I'm sorry."
Song then sat down on the floor. Kuji ended up in his lap.
Kuji swore as he pulled down his fly and pulled his manhood out of his pants. He desperately pumped his penis, flaccid from being wrung dry earlier. He rubbed its tip against Song's robes. He half-expected to be pushed away, but Song continued to stroke his back.