Lưu ý: Truyện chỉ đăng tải trên Wattpad của Alph16 và không được đăng tải trên bất kì website Việt Nam nào như truyenwki.com hay truyen2u.net;... Tất cả các website Việt đăng tải đều là ăn cắp và re-up trái phép, mong bạn đọc có tâm hãy chỉ đọc ở Wattpad chính chủ để ủng hộ và bảo vệ quyền lợi của cộng đồng tác giả Việt Nam.

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(each chapter in ASC will include 2 parts: Summary and Reading, so please pay attention)

1. Summary:

 "Right now, I was following that weird man. He walked quickly toward the hallway opposite the saunas, passing the public bathrooms. I tried to ignore the images that met my eyes: naked bodies entwined with each other, soft moans through the makeshift curtain hanging before the stalls. There was a bizarre attraction from that man, no longer the feeling of being stared at or watched like before. My body was burning, and my heart was pounding."

-Gernes: short story / mature / paranormal

-Motif: unidentified

-Characters:

The protagonist: a gay guy with many concerns and negative thoughts

Mike: the protagonist's lover, who didn't care about genders when it came to love

2. Reading:

 From here, after going through a small alley filled with a strange scent, you could reach a large area. Half had restaurants, villas, and spas, whereas the other half was still under construction. Mike seemed to know where he was taking me to. There could only be a place for us.

 Unlike my initial thoughts, quite a few people were coming here. All were men. Among those countless men, how many were like us, how many were gay and had other "unusual" characteristics? It was hard to estimate because there were so many people here, movements, thoughts, looks, breaths, etc. Among the countless men rushing in and out, I noticed that man: The man entered at the same time as us, from the parking lot to the entrance, to the reception desk, through a dark and cold corridor, and then to the dressing room. He always followed us closely, even when we joined the chaotic crowd. The strange thing was I didn't feel nervous or suspicious but instead wanted to attract his attention. I wanted him to hear every word I said to Mike. I also wanted my every move to seem perfect, and my facial expression must express my best mood.

💆🏻‍♂️

"You should take off your undies too. Why must you keep wearing them?" Mike whispered into my ear.

"Eh! I... I don't know. It's my first time going to the spa..." I smiled at Mike, glancing lightly at the other man. He was struggling to find something.

 Mike knelt on one knee, then slowly took off my undies and quickly wrapped a white towel around my body. Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms, hugged me tightly, and kissed me hard on the cheek. I squirmed to escape that embrace.

"People are watching!" My body suddenly became hot.

"Silly!" Mike looked at me and showed his smile, which I had pursued throughout my student days.

 It was so lucky that Mike had accepted my feelings. When I asked him whether he was gay or not, he said he was no one, stating that he didn't care about that. Mike said he loved me no matter who I was. It was just that Mike loved me.

"You should clearly define your sexual orientation; otherwise, you will make many people miserable, including yourself!" I had told Mike that many times.

 Honestly, I was afraid that Mike would get married one day. It seemed like a typical path that most people follow as a rule or responsibility. I knew I had to learn to accept it because there was no other way.

"Is that important? If I love you just because you're gay, then I can also give up on you because of that reason, understand? Why do you have to identify yourself as belonging to this world and that sexuality to make yourself miserable?"

"But I... Loving people like you will be very miserable... If one day you get married... You will have a lot of trouble in the future... when you have to choose..." I said my incoherent lines of thought.

"So silly! You'd better think a little more openly to make life easier. People have the right to do what they like with their lives, but they cannot help but pay attention to things outside of that life. About getting married... Who knows..."

 I had always considered Mike to be a superficial person. From then on, I saw him as ordinary as everyone else. Mike knew quite a lot of dogmatic philosophies. He learned about Buddhism, read books on Philosophy and psychoanalysis, and always blamed me for being too mechanical, dry, and always thinking of things in a downward direction.

 The truth was not as simple as what Mike thought. Why couldn't he think more carefully? Life couldn't be that easy. It was not all just fairy tales. There was a large gap between saying and doing. Was Mike stupid, or was I? While I often complicated matters, Mike saw everything as easy. Neither of us was right. Both were idiots. Was it true that when people fell in love, they became stupid?

💆🏻‍♂️

 The hallway had only a little light, and the rooms had closed doors. I was not sure what they were for. An empty wall hung a strange picture drawn in an unknown style. Mike still walked close to me. In front and behind us were all men. They walked in silence, slowly and gently, like soulless corpses. Did they all come here alone?

 It seemed like that man's eyes were still on me. The eyes were filled with darkness and swirling as if wanting to confine emotions in a cramped space. This feeling was so familiar! Even though I knew this was the first time, I still felt like I had met him somewhere before, maybe in a dream or a strange memory in my subconscious: A man walking next to me, a strange man that I noticed and a lot of other men walking around me, in a dim hallway like this.

"Ah!" I exclaimed in surprise. Mike suddenly squeezed my hand. The thoughts and feelings from before seemed to recede into the distance.

"What's wrong with you?" He stopped and looked at me.

"Ah! Nothing!" Sounds and people's voices suddenly came like a storm, making me wonder and ask Mike, "Why is it so noisy?"

"Noisy?" He looked at me with surprised eyes, "It's crowded from the start!"

"What?" I looked around. It was still the same hallway, but everyone laughed and talked loudly. A few couples who seemed like lovers even chased and hugged each other. "Why haven't I heard anything heretofore?" I asked.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you still bewildered like a lost soul?"

"I... Why is this hallway so long?"

"I'm asking you... So you haven't heard anything I said from the beginning until now?"

💆🏻‍♂️

 My body gradually warmed up. Sweat began to flow non-stop, and a pleasant scent entered my nose. It felt like being liberated from the heaviness of life. Mike leaned his head against the wall, eyes half-closed. Surrounded by the white mist, he looked even younger and more handsome than usual. Mike must have come here several times. Otherwise, he wouldn't know every corner of this place so well. Mike spoke confidently about this place, so I knew it couldn't be his first time. Later, I would take a complete tour around this spa so that Mike wouldn't tease me for being silly, even though he knew I had never been to a spa before.

 The four men sitting before me also leaned their heads against the wall, eyes closed. They breathe steadily, their muscular and attractive chests heaving and looking so sexy. They walked out one by one, perhaps unable to stand the heat any longer.

 When only the two of us were in the room, he suddenly turned to look at me, smiling mischievously. He slowly touched my private part!

"Eh... no way! What if people come in?" I rejected him while feeling confused.

"Just a little bit!"

"Not a chance!" I pushed Mike away, then said, "I will go out for a bit. It's too hot, and I can't stand it anymore!"

"Uhm! You go first. I'll sit here a little longer." He looked at me and smiled gently, but I knew he was uncomfortable.

"Uhm! Don't fall asleep in here!" I reminded Mike. He once fell asleep in the bathroom, perhaps due to a lot of pressure at work and life. Fortunately, I could discover it on time during those moments.

Mike kept silence.

"Ah!" I tried to look threatening. "If you mess around with other people, I won't let you be at peace... So don't let me catch you doing any wrong things!"

 One thing I was sure of was that Mike was always honest with me. He didn't hide from me the fact that he had had an affair with someone else. At first, I had been teary and couldn't accept it, but I felt the same as him at some point. I realized that, just like Mike said, people had the right to do what they liked with their lives. Mike must have thought of me at those times. There was nothing to prove it but belief.

The sounds reached my ears as soon as the bathroom door closed. A group of men were gathering, discussing something very excitedly. The other people walked along the row of rooms. They were all in good shape. Suddenly, I felt ashamed when I looked back at myself. This sauna area's arrangement was quite messy and unreasonable. For instance, this big mirror could make people more confident and could also have the opposite effect. Luckily, Mike didn't see my sideways glance at the men out there, or else he would have gotten angry before entering the sauna. Even so, it was his fault. He should have thought of this before bringing me here. But who knew, maybe Mike had also glanced at others like I did!

💆🏻‍♂️

 Right now, I was following that weird man. He walked quickly toward the hallway opposite the saunas, passing the public bathrooms. I tried to ignore the images that met my eyes: naked bodies entwined with each other, soft moans through the makeshift curtain hanging before the stalls. There was a bizarre attraction from that man, no longer the feeling of being stared at or watched like before. My body was burning, and my heart was pounding.

 I was busy chasing him through many hallways and closed rooms. But somehow, when I reached the massage area, I lost sight of him. This area was brightly lit, and the music was soft and gentle. The staff dressed politely and had bright faces and warm smiles on their lips.

💆🏻‍♂️

 When I dipped into the water, a chill ran down my spine. The water here was not clean, giving off a very unpleasant fishy smell. I didn't understand why this zone was dark. I thought it must be outdoors in a well-ventilated place and harmony with nature. It was supposed to be better! 

 Before I could say a word to Mike, he closed his eyes. A hand brazenly touched my private part, and it was not Mike's hand. I pushed that hand away. Suddenly, Mike laughed softly. Now I understood why he had insisted on coming in here!

 The strange man next to me kept stroking my stick. The remaining men in the pool all closed their eyes. Perhaps they were also groping each other's stick with their disgusting hands and enjoying that feeling of pleasure.

"What were you doing, Mike? Is he challenging me?" I thought. If Mike wanted, we could find somewhere to do it. He had unhesitatingly asked me to fornicate with him in the toilet once, which I hadn't minded. But when would Mike stop? I kept glaring at him, but he still looked calm. 

 The strange man winked at me and then exited the hydraulic pool. I knew what he meant. I looked at Mike, yet he still maintained the same position. If I had followed that man, wouldn't Mike have succeeded in provoking me? But I really couldn't understand myself. I started coming out of the pool in a sad and disappointed mood. I only had one question: Why did Mike let it happen?

💆🏻‍♂️

Mike chased after me right after, looking apologetic. "Are you going with that person for real?" He asked nervously.

I looked at Mike for a moment, then answered, "YES! Isn't that what you want?"

"I want? No!"

"Why did you lead me into this hellish place?"

"I see that you keep daydreaming. You're so strange today. What are you thinking?"

"I don't think anything? If you want to enjoy yourself, stay here. I'll go home first!"

"Hey, you!" Mike pulled my hand back, saying, "I'm sorry. Don't be angry at me anymore!"

"You probably often come to this place to relax and find an affair, right? I thought you were busy with work, but it turns out..."

"How can you think like a child like that?!"

 A few men looked at us critically. Some smiled meaningfully. I tried to throw an angry look at them.

"Darling, calm down a bit!"

I took a deep breath, trying to relax my senses, "Okay, speak up!"

"I see that you work a lot and are almost stressed. Thus, I want to bring you here to relax. But it doesn't seem to have much effect.

"Right! I feel a lot more stressed!"

"Really? I think you're the one who is going too far. You're going with me, but you keep staring at other people. I am not that bad..."

 It was true that Mike's body was quite beautiful, but since entering this spa, I no longer had the energy to pay attention to it. Strange emotions kept bouncing in my chest.

"Correct! I looked, but does that mean anything? Are you jealous about that?"

"You know I hate that very much. Just now, you were planning to follow those men."

"What about your flirting with other people? Do you have any right to forbid me to do the same?"

"Alright! Alright! You are stressed about that, aren't you? Now I understand. I'm sorry."

"Actually... there's one more thing..."

"What?"

"I don't know why I always feel insecure and being watched by someone. There is a person who looks a lot like you. He came in at the same time as us. Did you notice?"

​"I didn't see him! And then?"

"I feel like he keeps staring at me, and I feel scared. Just now, I was chasing him like a crazy person. There's something terrible! I don't understand myself anymore!"

Mike hugged me and whispered, "Maybe you're too stressed. Poor you! It will be okay soon."

"Ahhhhhh!!!!!"

 The air was pierced by a loud and raucous scream that seemed to emanate from the public bath stalls. The sound was unrelenting and continued to echo throughout the vicinity, leaving those within earshot feeling startled and unnerved.

"Mike! Did you hear anything?"

"Hear what?"

"Someone is screaming!" I covered my ears, and the screams became more and more pitiful. "Someone was screaming. Can you hear it?"

"Darling, calm down! What's wrong with you? EH!"

 I quickly ran towards the source of the noise. Mike ran after me. With a little force, I pulled down the curtain hung before the stall. Immediately, Mike clung tightly to my hand. I knew for sure what he was seeing, but it took a few seconds for me to hear his yell. Everyone rushed towards us, looking at the body lying in the bath stall.

 A shadow suddenly ran across my vision.

"Him! It's him!" I pointed at the man who had followed me since I arrived at this creepy spa. "It's him!!!"

"Hey, babe! Who are you pointing at?" Mike shook me and kept asking what was wrong with me.

 Everyone looked at me in surprise. I looked towards the bath stall. The body was still there. Then, I looked into Mike's eyes, saying, "You saw it too, right? You even screamed, right?"

 He looked at me with eyes filled with sympathy. Abruptly, images, shadows, and sounds swirled in my head. Everything seemed to fall apart. The last feeling I felt was only the warmth from Mike's tight hug.

[The End]

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p/s: just an experiment with this gerne