“Ah!”
Taekjoo sprang up. His vision cleared all at once, and the room was so bright that it hurt his eyes. He shut them again and grabbed his head. He was dizzy. His vision slowly adjusted after being blurred by the brightness.
Taekjoo’s hands were shaking. He brought them up to his eyes. Both his hands were fine, and he still had ten fingers. Even the ring finger—the one Zhenya had targeted—was intact.
Was it a dream? It all felt so real that Taekjoo was left baffled. He looked around. A filthy table, empty bottles on the floor, messy beds—everything was exactly the same as it had been in his dream. Even the sticky residue of the liquor on his cheek. The only difference was a small pile of cigar ash in the corner of the table. Zhenya seemed to have smoked an entire cigar in one sitting.
Where did he go? Taekjoo wondered. He checked the time and saw that it was almost breakfast time. Zhenya might have gone to the dining car by himself just like he always did. Or maybe he decided to be helpful today and check in on Hong.
Taekjoo got up, wondering what his partner could be doing. But as he stood up, he noticed the lower half of his body strangely sore. Taekjoo looked down to find the cause. He almost passed out at what he saw.
“What the...”
His crotch was inflated. He was too old for wet dreams. What could have possibly aroused him this early in the morning? The only dream he had was a nightmare where his finger was cut out. He was aware that, in theory, extreme fear could cause an erection. He never expected to experience it firsthand. It was just yesterday he had masturbated. He was forced to do it again this morning, just a single night after.
As he stared down at his junk, he recalled the long dream he had. Taekjoo didn’t believe in groundless superstition like dreams with predictive powers. But still, no one would feel good after having a nightmare. He should take a shower—and maybe masturbate too—to clear his head. If Zhenya saw him in this state, he would never hear the end of it.
That was when he heard it. The shower had been quiet all this time, but suddenly, Taekjoo could hear the sound of water.
“...!”
Taekjoo flinched and turned to look. Is that Zhenya inside? Logically, it could only be him, but Taekjoo’s heart raced anxiously. He was having a strong sense of déjà vu. Everything was almost exactly like his dream.
First, Taekjoo forced himself to calm down. It was just a dream. It was nothing more than a delusional projection of the subconscious. Taekjoo told himself as he stood up without making a sound, silently picking up his Colt. A dream was a dream. But it never hurt to be cautious in reality.
He held the gun with both his hands and slowly walked toward the bathroom. All the while, the sound of falling water continued, accompanied by occasional movements.
Taekjoo stared at the doorknob, unable to decide whether he should open the door or not. He’d wondered whether he should open the door, but now that the moment had come, he couldn't help hesitating. He could become someone who barged into an extremely private space, pointing a gun at his partner. It would earn him at least a year’s worth of taunting. Did he really have to put himself in that position? Taekjoo was contemplating, pacing around the door.
But then, the compartment door was yanked open. Taekjoo jumped and turned to look. Zhenya was coming in. Their eyes met in the air, and time seemed to have stopped momentarily.
“What are you doing? You’re acting like a creep.”
Zhenya demanded, his eyes narrowing into slits. Obviously, this was a huge misunderstanding, but Taekjoo had no reasonable explanation to offer. What was he supposed to say? That he had a bad dream, and it felt like it had come true, so he was trying to deal with it? It was outrageous. It would be better if Taekjoo kept that to himself.
Anyhow, if Zhenya was here, then who was in the shower? Taekjoo, instead of defending himself from the accusation, gestured at the shower with his chin. Who’s in there? He mouthed the question to Zhenya silently. And right on cue, the sound of the water stopped. Taekjoo stepped away from the door, his arms extended straight forward. The jet-black gun aimed at the door.
Zhenya simply stood watching. Then, even a glance at Taekjoo, he strode toward the bathroom. He yanked open the bathroom door without hesitation. Every movement he made was decisive.
“...!”
Taekjoo, out of habit, pulled the trigger halfway. But in the end, he didn’t shoot.
“Oh, you scared me. Did you just get back? Thanks for letting me use the shower—I got to take my time without feeling rushed.”
The one who stepped out was a naked woman. Zhenya pushed down Taekjoo’s Colt as he wrapped his arm around the woman’s waist. The woman wrapped her arms around Zhenya as well. She looked European, probably a tourist. Zhenya must have used the offer of a hot shower as bait to pick her up.
He gently pushed the woman back into the shower. The door snapped closed, and Taekjoo was left alone in the room. Soon, the narrow shower booth began shaking. The warm mist of the water softened the woman’s moans, making them echo.
Taekjoo chucked his gun on his bed. His eyes fell on a sandwich. Zhenya must have bought it, maybe to have breakfast together with the woman. Taekjoo devoured the sandwich, staring blankly out the window. Living with a beast was thinning his nerves to a breaking point.
“Oh.”
Taekjoo remembered his boner and looked down. It had already gone soft before he even realized it. But the sore sensation was still there. It would probably get hard again at the slightest stimulation.
Taekjoo stared daggers at his own crotch before pushing a pillow over it. He then opened the window wide. The loud noise from the tracks drowned out the obscene moans, scattering them into the wind.
✦ ✦ ✦
The woman’s name was Louise. She was a soon-to-be-wed French woman, on this trip to enjoy her last moments as a bachelorette. She had already traveled through Africa and Asia, visiting several of the most distant countries from her home. And now, she was going through Russia to visit the European places she was most familiar with. She said she hoped to find herself on this trip or something. After her safe return to France, she would have exactly one week until her wedding. Everything had been agreed upon with her fiancé, and perhaps he was just as enjoying his last days as a bachelor just as much.
Louise didn’t leave after breakfast. She slept through the morning in Zhenya’s bed. Late in the afternoon, when she woke up, she linked arms with Zhenya and asked him to join her in the dining car. And for some strange reason, the maniac obediently humored her. He must really like Louise, seeing how he still hung around with her when he never slept with the same woman twice. Sipping her beer after an early dinner, Louise started talking about herself. That was when Taekjoo heard all this information about her.
Every time Zhenya stepped away, Louise showed interest in Taekjoo. Taekjoo would feel an intense gaze, look up, and without missing a beat, meet her eyes. She was also the one who initiated the conversation, all smiles.
“You seemed absorbed. What kind of book is it?”
“Just another mystery novel.”
“Is that your preferred genre?”
“There’s some gratification in pointing out just how ridiculous and implausible the story the author wrote is.”
Louise giggled at the dry response. Then, she went back to gazing at Taekjoo.
“Are you bored? Would you like to read this?”
Taekjoo offered, handing her the book he had been reading without hesitation. It was his way of drawing the line. He was letting Louise know that he wouldn’t join her in her last attempt at a promiscuous single-life activity. There would be no consequence for sleeping with her, and knowing this, almost no man would refuse.
“Women are more attracted to men who ignore them. Strange, isn’t it?” asked Louise.
Taekjoo didn’t respond but simply stared at her. For a while, the two locked eyes, gazing deep inside each other.
Then, the door was pulled open, and Zhenya came in. They had drunk like sailors the night before, yet here he was, with bottles of liquor in his hands. Louise kissed Zhenya on the neck, embracing him as if she had never laid eyes on Taekjoo. Taekjoo smirked and went back to reading his book.