DB Vol 4 Part 9

He came into Gye Yoon’s room without even knocking. He walked down the empty long hallway as if running, even though there was no need to rush. But after entering the room without the owner’s permission, he looked at the owner of the room, pretending not to be nervous.

Gye Yoon had just opened the bathroom door and stopped in his tracks when he saw Won-woo in the room. Except for the towel wrapped around his waist, his amazing muscles that Jae-hak had boasted about so much were completely exposed.

He had taken a cold shower, and the moisture coming out of the bathroom was as cold as midwinter rain. But the chill that permeated the room had no effect on Won-woo, as Gye Yoon’s eyes were burning hot as he looked at him.

“I’ll guide you.”

“How?”

Won-woo swallowed, trying not to swallow his saliva, and said calmly,

“Let’s start with a kiss.”

A few steps later, the other man was on top of him, pulling him roughly against him.

At first, Gye Yoon thought the vision of Won-woo he saw when he opened the bathroom door was an illusion, but then she heard his voice.

‘I’ll guide you.’

How could he be so calm? Even if he were covered in cold water right now, he felt like his head was about to go crazy with heat.

The anticipation of meeting him and being guided by him seemed to numb the pain from the raging energy. In fact, the pain was almost pleasurable in anticipation of the cool sensation of the moment when the pain disappeared.

It was as if his head had really gone crazy, filled only with thoughts of Ji Won-woo. The body that fit perfectly in his arms, the scent of soap mixed with the smell of wind, and the breath he let out as if suppressing it. Reason disappeared, and that place was filled with Won-woo. He felt like he was going crazy just thinking about Guiding like this, but Won-woo was completely different, which drove Gye Yoon even crazier.

If Gye Yoon used his powers he could hear if Won-woo was nervous about the situation, if his heart was beating faster, but the option didn’t even cross his mind, like someone who had forgotten he had powers in the first place. He just wanted to touch him like every cell in his brain was in heat. So he grew impatient and frustrated with his calmness.

‘How?’

He was not going to tolerate it any longer, even if an unwanted answer came out. So when he heard the word he didn’t expect, he felt like he had been hit in the head.

‘Let’s start with a kiss.’

When he realized that his ears were not mistaken, his body moved first. His impatient hands grabbed Won-woo’s body before his legs. He grabbed Won-woo’s shoulders and pulled his waist with his other hand, fearing that he might run away while he was approaching. He instinctively tilted his head as Won-woo’s face got closer.

As his vision narrowed and his lips moved closer, the first thing he felt was heat. The hot breath that he might have exhaled could not escape from the narrowed gap between the two lips and warmed the skin. But the tension in the gap made the heat spread faster. His heart felt like it was about to explode before their lips even touched. Because of that, he paused for a moment.

His heart was pounding in a strange way, and Gye Yoon wondered why. Was it a sign of rampage? Gye Yoon had doubts about the symptoms he was experiencing for the first time, but they disappeared as quickly as a passing breeze. Because he had to touch him quickly. Whether it was rampage or his heart had gone crazy, there was no rational thought left now.

Gye Yoon tilted his head a little more. When the soft skin was pressed against his lips, goosebumps spread. Each nerve gathered on his lips came to life as if dancing, amplifying the stimulation. It was electrifying and sweet. He rubbed Won-woo’s plump lips.

Haa.

A desperate gasp escaped his lips. Gye Yoon squeezed their hands together, anxious that Won-woo might break free, even though he was already in his arms. He stuck out his tongue to brush against Won-woo’s lips, and they parted obediently, sending another electric current of pleasure through his body. The other person was clearly the same gender as him, but Won-woo’s mouth was surprisingly soft and sweet. His hot tongue, which only knew how to covet the other person, couldn’t control itself and wildly rummaged through Won-woo’s mouth.

“Mmm.”

A groan of dissatisfaction escaped Won-woo’s throat at the sudden intensity of the kiss, but even that sound was stimulating to Gye Yoon. He’d forgotten that the purpose of this kiss was to guide him. And he hadn’t realized that this was his first kiss.

‘You’ve never had guiding sex?’

It must have been when Seona had been by Won-woo’s side for quite a while and they’d become close. Originally, assassination was 99% waiting and 1% fighting, so at some point, they started chatting. And Seona was briefly surprised by Won-woo’s confession that he had never had guiding sex, but she nonchalantly added.

‘You don’t necessarily have to try it. It’s not that great.’

‘But there are a lot of Espers who are crazy about guiding sex, right?’

‘There are. Primitives with no willpower, dominated by instinct.’

Seona immediately condemned them and then added a condition.

‘Of course, I’ve heard it’s amazing if you do it with someone whose wavelenght and rank match perfectly.’

‘So, Seona, you don’t know either since you haven’t tried it.’

Her brow furrowed as if her pride had been hurt by Won-woo’s words.

‘No matter how amazing it is, I would never go crazy for someone I don’t have feelings for. It’s not like people live for sex.’

Won-woo had somewhat agreed with Seona’s words back then. It’s not like there’s only sex in life, so going crazy for someone solely because of instinctive desires seemed like a truly inhuman act. And now, Won-woo briefly dipped his toes into the self-loathing of feeling like he had become a primitive. It wasn’t like he was unfamiliar with kissing, but now it felt new as if he was experiencing it for the first time.

There was no technique in this rough act of pushing forward with relentless force, yet the moment he touched Gye Yoon, his knees buckled and he almost collapsed. It was too good. Tremors spread throughout his body, intensifying the stimulation to his fingertips and toes. He was so taken aback because kissing had never been this good before. In an instant, his lower abdomen heated up.

While the hot tongue invading his mouth stirred and sucked inside, Won-woo momentarily forgot what he was supposed to do. He had to guide. Realizing this belatedly, he began to draw out Gye Yoon’s rampaging energy through their touching tongues and lips. And the same thing happened as before. He felt like he was being sucked into an uncontrollably fast and immense energy, like a rapidly swelling torrent.

“Wait.”

Haa. Barely concealing his panting breath, he pushed him away and parted their lips. But Gye Yoon only tilted his head, as if trying not to give even a little gap, with his arms tightly wrapped around Won-woo. His eyes, looking down as if he didn’t like even the slightly opened gap, showed desire mixed with dissatisfaction. So, even while Won-woo was breathing and composing himself, Gye Yoon couldn’t stand it and lowered his head again, sucking on Won-woo’s lower lip.

“Ugh, just a moment.”

When Won-woo pushed him away again, eyes full of impatient desire revealed his dissatisfaction.

“Did you not like it?”

“No, that’s not it…”

As soon as he denied it, Gye Yoon rushed to Won-woo’s lips again like a child. Won-woo pushed him with both hands, wondering if he was even less patient than Hwan. Of course, he understood. He knew how much the clumsy, enveloping lips heated up the inside, and Won-woo himself wanted to stay attached like this for days.

But he had to guide him. And Won-woo wanted to avoid being swept away by Gye Yoon’s energy like last time. It wasn’t like him. He was even scared of falling into that pleasure to the point of losing his mind. So, under the pretext of testing, he wanted to control this guiding, but the other party wasn’t cooperating.

Not only was he obsessed with his lips, but he also pushed Won-woo’s body towards the nearby sofa. Thud, he slumped down from the force of his push and ended up lying down. As Gye Yoon climbed on top of Won-woo’s body, Won-woo stopped him again.

“Stop it. I have to guide you.”

“You’re. We’re attached, aren’t we?”

Although he raised his upper body, Gye Yoon, whose lower body was still pressed against Won-woo’s, moved his hips and rubbed his groin against Won-woo’s lower body. With a few movements, the towel that had been covering his lower body came off, and his huge dick was exposed.

Won-woo, who had been holding his head up, unknowingly glanced down and gasped. Just seeing the fully erect dick made his lower abdomen tingle.

“Touch me.”

Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s hand and placed it on his dick. As soon as Won-woo couldn’t refuse and grabbed the hot shaft, a rough voice like a groan burst from Gye Yoon’s throat.

“Hah, shit.”

The dick in Won-woo’s hand twitched. The skin, stretched taut by the erection, was smooth, but underneath it was so engorged with blood that it felt hard. That hardness seemed to indicate Gye Yoon’s impatient state, which made him feel good.

Won-woo felt a sense of superiority that he could make him horny with just this much kissing and skinship. It was the first time he had felt such an emotion towards another person, but it was so addictive that it was hard to shake off. So, Won-woo wanted to control him even more.

“Just a moment.”

Gye Yoon didn’t listen to his third attempt to stop him, but he paused at Won-woo’s next words.

“I can’t control it in this state. You need guiding, right?”

Damn it, Gye Yoon ran his hand through his hair, muttered a small curse, and asked impatiently.

“Do you have to control it?”

He didn’t necessarily have to, but he felt like he would lose his mind if he didn’t. Won-woo hid the truth and nodded.

“I have to.”

Then, he straightened his upper body and commanded him.

“Sit down.”

Won-woo’s voice cracked and came out hoarsely. Gye Yoon, keenly aware of the heat in his voice, thankfully sat down on the sofa right away. And he looked up at Won-woo, who was getting up, with excited eyes. Their bodies were separated for a moment, but the intense gaze reaching Won-woo prevented the heat from cooling down.

Won-woo met Gye Yoon’s eyes and crossed his arms to pull his T-shirt over his head. The indoor temperature that touched his bare skin was slightly cool, but even that goosebumps became a stimulation. Won-woo had only exposed his upper body, but he became more embarrassed than Gye Yoon, who was naked.

He was sitting like an emperor, legs spread and his erect manhood exposed to the point of touching his stomach. But he wasn’t a relaxed ruler. When he saw Won-woo’s bare skin, he puffed up his chest and inhaled. Then, he spat out a rough voice like a complaint.

“Let me take it off next time.”

Won-woo thought his request was so childish, but he nodded and sat on his lap as if straddling his thighs. He deliberately didn’t take off his pants. He was a little embarrassed for some reason, and he felt like he would cross the final line if he took off all his clothes. Fortunately, Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s waist and seemed to be captivated by the bare skin that touched his hands.

“I’m going crazy.”

Gye Yoon muttered and stroked Won-woo’s back with his palms. Won-woo bit his lip at the chilling sensation and stopped breathing. Yeah, I’m going crazy too. While agreeing inwardly, he placed his hands on Gye Yoon’s shoulders and prevented him from coming any closer. A dissatisfied look reached him, but Won-woo lowered his head and coaxed him.

“Let’s find out slowly and properly if it’s effective.”

This time, Won-woo touched Gye Yoon’s lips first. Hot lips parted and heat poured out. Won-woo slowly rubbed his lips and stuck out his tongue, holding onto his reason that was about to disappear in the kiss. And he started guiding again. Was it because of the slow speed? The heat didn’t subside, but it didn’t rush in recklessly like before.

But to catch Gye Yoon’s storm-like energy, he had to jump into it anyway. The way he had always extracted other people’s energy like a third party and moved it freely didn’t work for Gye Yoon. He was lucky that he wasn’t completely eaten up.

Won-woo tried to control the speed and sucked on his lips. Fortunately, Gye Yoon was a quick learner. He soon understood that guiding was becoming stable and returned a slow kiss to Won-woo. Gye Yoon’s kiss was like foreplay. The sensual tongue and lips that made his body sweet quickly raised the temperature between them again.

“Haa.”

As Won-woo couldn’t help but exhale a hot breath, the hand that had been caressing Won-woo’s bare skin moved to his lower abdomen. The ticklish touch that lingered around the waist of his pants was as hot as if it would burn. Rough breaths between their touching lips revealed Gye Yoon’s excitement. Won-woo couldn’t help but mutter.

“Take it out by undressing me.”

As soon as Won-woo gave permission, Gye Yoon tore open Won-woo’s pants buckle as if tearing it off, and then lowered the zipper, ziiip. His clumsy hands, as if he was undressing for the first time, hurriedly opened the front and took out Won-woo’s dick, which was wet inside his underwear.

“Heuht.”

Won-woo wanted to regain his hazy mind, but he gasped as Gye Yoon’s hand grabbed his dick. He almost parted his lips at that moment, but Gye Yoon’s hand grabbed the back of Won-woo’s head.

“No.”

The turbid voice that stopped Won-woo whispered while rubbing his lips. It feels so good. The anxious voice stimulated Won-woo. He knew that he was talking about guiding, but he also knew that it wasn’t just that. From some point on, Won-woo was swept away by Gye Yoon’s power. It was what he had been worried about, but when the embarrassment disappeared, the second time was better than the first experience.

He felt like his energy, touching through his skin and mucous membranes, was passing through Won-woo’s body at some point and returning to Gye Yoon. That thrill was enough to make his whole body tingle. Gye Yoon had already grabbed both of their dicks and started rubbing them, and he exhaled rough breaths into Won-woo’s mouth through the kiss. Even so, he stubbornly didn’t stop kissing.

Even though it was uncomfortable to rub the dick stuck between the two people’s upper bodies, he bit, sucked, and licked his lips. Both of them were already dripping transparent fluid from the tips of their dick, and obscene sounds of squelching echoed. But neither of them properly recognized the sound.

Even though the control of guiding had already gone out the window, Won-woo couldn’t push him away. He couldn’t stop now. As if every strand of hair had become an erogenous zone, every place that Gye Yoon touched sparked with pleasure like an electric current.

“Ungh… haa.”

He couldn’t breathe properly. Won-woo’s heart was beating faster and faster like an engine that had exceeded its speed. Gye Yoon was the same, and he not only rub their dick with his hands, but also moved his hips and rubbed his lower body.

The hand that had been caressing Won-woo’s back went down to his waist and went inside his buttocks. His fingers moved into the deep crevice, but Won-woo couldn’t stop him. Rather, his body trembled because he knew the pleasure he felt in that area.

“Do you like it here?”

A split voice, as if it were someone else, asked. Long fingers brushed against the inside where his hole was. Won-woo couldn’t help but tilt his head back and close his eyes tightly.

Their lips parted, but Gye Yoon latched onto Won-woo’s nape, sucking at his skin. The wet sounds of their dick rubbing together quickened. Unable to hold back, Won-woo moved his hips. At that movement, the large hand that had slipped into his pants grabbed his buttocks, eliciting an almost painful exclamation.

“Fuck, you know this is amazing, right?”

But Won-woo was panting too hard with rising breath to properly understand. In any case, the other hadn’t asked the question expecting an answer. When Won-woo simply lowered his head to rest it on Gye Yoon’s shoulder, that action alone made Gye Yoon’s eyes shine with excitement.

It really was amazing. Unlike Won-woo, who feared his body might burst from the quick, intense climb towards orgasm, Gye Yoon moved his hand relentlessly like someone without fear. This unbearable stimulation felt insanely good.

Huff, hmph, huff. 

Rough breaths mingled, impossible to tell whose was whose. Nearing his limit, Won-woo tensed his thighs and twisted his waist.

“Hah… Ah.”

“Don’t. Hah, haa, let’s cum together.”

Gye Yoon demanded, sucking at Won-woo’s ear and neck with his lips, but Won-woo had no strength left. The merciless touch along with the hot shaft rubbing against him tightened Won-woo’s lower abdomen.

“Ngh!”

Won-woo hunched his shoulders as if holding his breath, his lower body trembling spasmodically. As semen gushed from the tip of his dick trapped in Gye Yoon’s hand, his mind went blank for a moment.

He felt like a strong hand supported his drooping body, but he couldn’t remember. He only recognized that Gye Yoon dragged Won-woo’s hand and made him touch his still unfinished dick, and he moved it while overlapping his hand.

Usually when ejaculation ends, pleasure recedes quickly like the tide. But this time was different. The aftereffects of orgasm lingered unusually long. His head was still fuzzy, and his heart wouldn’t stop racing. Won-woo’s body, which he had thought was in good shape, went limp as if completely drained. So Won-woo belatedly realized the guiding had ended too.

But it was guiding he couldn’t remember how he’d done. What exactly happened? When Won-woo raised his head in confusion, lips approached as if they’d been waiting and devoured him. This time it was a kiss without guiding, but his insides started trembling with pleasure again.

***

It was nearly noon.

Sunlight shone down through the well-tended garden trees. On the vast grounds stood the main house of the two families, like a royal palace.

Most of it consisted of low buildings not exceeding two stories and gardens so expansive one could get lost, so first-time visitors found the name ‘palace’ fitting. With many buildings in hanok style with tiled roofs, it seemed like a real king in royal robes might pass by.

Yoo Geon-young, who had been here several times before, still marveled each time he came. But no one knew better than him how filthy the inside of this serene and peaceful palace was. The evidence was right there in his hand.

Yoo Geon-young’s father had sent this with him a few times over the past few years, trying to establish a connection with Yang Cheon-hyo, or more precisely, Ji Geun-oh. It was meant as an opportunity for Yoo Geon-young to make his face known, but considering the nature of the object in his hand, the whole situation just seemed ridiculous.

Even the building with the largest and most beautiful garden in the Yang family estate seemed absurd. Because Yoo Geon-young knew better than anyone what went on inside. So even when he met someone there, it was just amusing. Even if it was someone from the Ji family he should try to impress.

“What are you doing here?”

Ji Yoon-im, who had arrived first and was waiting in the reception room, asked sharply as soon as she saw Yoo Geon-young. Knowing she was someone who usually carefully maintained a doll-like image, Yoo Geon-young found it odd that she so openly displayed suspicion and wariness. Did he do something wrong?

“My father sent me.”

Yoo Geon-young held up the envelope in his hand. Ji Yoon-im’s gaze shifted to the envelope, and immediately her pointed wariness disappeared. Instead, displeasure took its place. Yoo Geon-young realized she knew what was inside and inwardly burst out laughing. Of course, how horrifying must this object be to Yoon-im, the epitome of refinement?

“Tell your father I’m grateful.”

“Yes, I will. Seeing my father personally search for and make this every time, I think he really goes through a lot of trouble.”

Ji Yoon-im stared at Yoo Geon-young without changing expression despite his sarcasm.

“Isn’t all your father’s trouble for your sake? He wants to improve the abilities of his inadequate son, even if just a little.”

Unlike Ji Yoon-im, Yoo Geon-young couldn’t hide his expression. So he blurted out words that would horrify his father, who had told him to bow down to this family.

“In terms of ability, I might only match your youngest brother. The one who caused so much trouble and whose whereabouts are unknown now. Ah, that’s right. Your family completely disowned him, didn’t you? Ha, that deficient kid has finally come to his senses and become normal.”

Though he had voiced a weakness of her family, Yoo Geon-young thought it wouldn’t affect Yoon-im. Ji Won-woo had always been the black sheep of that family anyway, so she’d probably just sneer, he thought. But Yoon-im’s expression hardened. Huh? Why is she reacting like that? As he observed her, Yoon-im’s sharp voice rang out.

“You say he’s become normal?”

Yoo Geon-young hesitated at that question. He recalled Won-woo’s threatening request from before not to tell others about his change. But what use was that now? Ji Won-woo might be dead or alive for all they knew.

“Yes. He suddenly became normal. According to him, he nearly died because of a monster at a farm and changed after surviving.”

Ji Yoon-im lowered her gaze as if lost in thought. Yoo Geon-young didn’t understand why she was taking Won-woo’s change so seriously. Everyone had found Won-woo’s change strange, but they had accepted his excuse. He nearly died, after all. Of course he could change, they thought. Geon-young asked Yoon-im probingly.

“Or is there another reason?”

Ji Yoon-im raised her cold gaze. Yoo Geon-young faced her with a deliberately smiling expression.

“No, there’s no other reason. But didn’t you say you came to make a delivery? Why are you still sitting here?”

“…It’s such an important item. My father told me to deliver it directly to the person.”

This time too, Yoo Geon-young’s voice hardened, unable to ignore the other’s provocation. Yoon-im stared at him and muttered as if to herself.

“Your father who made these orders, and you who bring it, really.”

At this clear mockery, Yoo Geon-young’s face contorted, but thanks to someone entering the reception room, he didn’t make the mistake of cursing out loud. The person who appeared was wearing a doctor’s gown and had a stethoscope in his chest pocket.

“Dr. Kim.”

When Yoon-im called him, the short, middle-aged doctor bowed his head and reported calmly.

“His blood pressure has stabilized for now, but he needs to be careful from now on. If he keeps overexerting himself like this, even the best medicine won’t be effective.”

Yoo Geon-young immediately realized who the patient the doctor was reporting on was. Even without Yoon-im’s hardened expression, he knew it was the reason he had been sent here with this hideous object. The person the doctor had examined was Ji Geun-oh.

Rumors circulated that despite his age, he maintained a glamorous appearance and good physical condition. This wasn’t entirely untrue. He was someone who would do anything to regain his youth and health. However, despite such efforts, he was always overexerting himself to the point where he could barely function except for official events. The reason was guiding sex.

It had gotten so bad that a few years ago, he had handed over all business matters to his children and could barely keep up. He was pushing himself to the point of needing a doctor, but neither he nor his children tried to stop him.

If they had, they should have prevented the object now in Yoo Geon-young’s hand. It was an aphrodisiac for Ji Geun-oh to use. Probably when he came to his senses, he would take this tonic again and shake his hips as Yang Cheon-hyo wanted. Disgust rose in Yoo Geon-young’s eyes. Yoon-im noticed this and sharply warned the doctor.

“How impertinent. Instead of giving such advice, just do your job properly.”

The doctor, seeming accustomed to such situations, bowed politely and left the room without a word. Then Yoon-im turned her cold gaze to Yoo Geon-young.

“You’re still here?”

“Yes. I have to make the delivery.”

Yoo Geon-young replied with a smile. What an impressive family? Yoon-im, despite being Ji Geun-oh’s child, not only ignored the doctor’s advice but even told him not to meddle.

Well, no matter how much power Ji Geun-oh had gained through Alpha seeds and guiding, the power of the Yang family still existed behind him. And the protagonist who fully supported Ji Geun-ho entered through the door.

Long dyed hair, a flamboyant women’s robe reminiscent of a butterfly. Even the short slip visible under the robe was for women, and the wearer had heavy makeup on their face. However, no amount of clothes and makeup could completely hide their innate masculine features.

He was obviously a middle-aged man to anyone who looked. Moreover, whatever he had been doing, the shape of his half-erect dick was visible, causing the soft slip to protrude. That part alone was wet, darkened in color.

“Delivery? Ah, you brought something for my darling.”

A gruff voice incongruent with his manner of speech came out. Yoo Geon-young smiled at him, still unable to get used to the sight even after seeing it multiple times. He managed his expression as his father had instructed, but inwardly he was forcibly swallowing his disgust. The behind the scenes mastermind who had seized control of the Yang family, though he no longer showed himself in public.

This was how the world evaluated him, but in Yoo Geon-young’s eyes, he was just a pervert obsessed with guiding sex. But this madman had gained power. That’s why he would throw tantrums like a child, demanding endangered animal dick be procured just because they were said to be good for virility. Yoo Geon-young’s father had no choice but to comply with these demands. Yoo Geon-young too bowed deeply to this person. Even if he was a monster that not only drained but sucked dry all of Ji Geun-o’s energy.

“I hope you’ve been well, Chairman Yang Cheon-hyo.”

***

Hwang Sang-cheon disliked change, but this sudden move turned out to be not so bad. No, after staying for a few days, it was actually quite good. Despite the abrupt situation, the Gye family had packed all the belongings Sang-cheon requested without missing a single item. They even found the same shelves and put everything back in its place. And how spacious the house was! He had a whole two-story detached house all to himself.

That wasn’t all. Being a bit removed from the city center, the safe house was quiet, with mountains behind and good air quality. At first it felt unfamiliar and burdensome, but humans are adaptable creatures. In just a few days, it became as comfortable as home.

Though his thoughts might change again when facing the famous northern cold of the coming winter, this solitary leisure without anyone’s interference was exactly what he had wanted. But as they say, good things don’t last. The pleasure of peace didn’t last long.

“The ramyun is overcooked.”

The guest who had come to visit Sang-cheon gave a harsh critique of the ramyun he had boiled and served himself.

“Why is there so much green onion, and why is the egg like this?”

Hey, then don’t eat it! Sang-cheon barely held back from shouting. The owner of this safe house was the damned guy in front of him. To be precise, it belonged to the Gye family, but since that damned guy was the vice head, he had some stake in it.

Sang-cheon was a rich man with nearly 10 billion won in his bank account, but due to his conscience and timidity, he couldn’t spend a penny of it. So he found it difficult to leave this free living space. For this pitiful reason, he asked the house owner with as much patience as he could muster,

“Then shall I eat it all?”

“Are you a pig?”

It wasn’t even a severe insult, but it really hurt his pride. While Sang-cheon was seething, Gye Yoon picked up his chopsticks and slurped up the ramyun. Judging by how deliciously he ate, one would think he loved overcooked ramyun the most in the world.

Sang-cheon glared at him once with an enlightened mind and then picked up his own chopsticks. Gye Yoon had appeared out of nowhere just as Sang-cheon was about to cook ramyun for himself because he was hungry. Then, looking at the ramyun, he had shamelessly demanded,

‘Me too.’

So while cooking Gye Yoon’s ramyun, Sang-cheon’s own portion had become as bloated as udon noodles. And yet he was complaining that his ramyun was a bit overcooked. He thought Gye Yoon might have become a bit more human after receiving guiding from Won-woo and having his pain reduced, but he was still as inconsiderate as ever.

Sigh, that brute. Sang-cheon shook his head inwardly, clutching his empty, aching stomach. Just as he was about to take a bite of the overcooked but still mouth-watering ramyun,

Clack!

Suddenly, Gye Yoon put down his chopsticks loudly on the table and glared at him. What’s wrong? Did he bite into an eggshell or something? Wondering if he had made a mistake, Sang-cheon cautiously asked while watching Gye Yoon’s expression,

“You’re not eating?”

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

Contrary to his words, he had already almost finished the noodles in just a few bites. Sang-cheon’s expression soured, but the uninvited guest who had lost his appetite just let out a big sigh. He looked as if he had something on his mind, so Sang-cheon regarded him seriously. Given his sudden appearance and all, surely nothing bad had happened to Won-woo-nim? Sang-cheon, who was always the embodiment of worry, lowered his voice again.

“Did something bad happen to Won-woo-nim?”

“What do you call him?”

“No. That’s not it…”

“There’s absolutely nothing bad. Rather… if anything, it’s good.”

His muttered addition seemed somewhat lacking in confidence, but Sang-cheon was just relieved that Won-woo was doing well. Then why was this rascal sighing like he had something on his mind? Sang-cheon tilted his head and asked again.

“Is the Gye family situation not good?”

“It’s good.”

“No other problems?”

“Old man. Do you want my family to be ruined? Why don’t you just curse us outright?”

At this impertinent remark, Sang-cheon decided to transform from a worry doll into a curse doll as suggested. If nothing else, I’ll definitely curse this brat. He was about to ignore his guest, brute or not, and eat his ramen. Indeed, he hadn’t even had a single spoonful of the broth yet.

But just as he was about to put some noodles into his mouth with his chopsticks, he heard a question. Although he had no intention of indulging anything Gye Yoon said, this time he couldn’t help it. The question was too outrageous.

“Old man, have you ever had guiding sex?”

Sang-cheon froze with the noodles suspended in mid-air and looked at the other. Noticing Sang-cheon’s eyes shaking with shock, Gye Yoon raised one eyebrow.

“You haven’t?”

Would I have? Sang-cheon was so flabbergasted he could barely make a sound. He just thought this guy must be crazy. How could he have had guiding sex when he wasn’t an Esper or a Guide?

“How could I possibly do that?”

When he finally managed to spit out the truth, Gye Yoon tilted his head to the side.

“What have you been doing all these years?”

I’ve been making ramen for you, you bastard! Sang-cheon put down his chopsticks with a clack and took a deep breath, trying not to get angry at the house owner.

“You haven’t had guiding sex either, right?”

Gye Yoon silently averted his gaze. Sang-cheon thought, “Huh?” and observed him. Is there a problem with guiding sex? But guiding is only with Won-woo-nim anyway… Huh?

“That’s not allowed, you thief!!”

With a clatter, Sang-cheon stood up from his chair and pointed at Gye Yoon, shouting.

“How dare you have guiding sex with Won-woo-nim!!”

“I haven’t yet.”

“Oh, really?”

Sang-cheon sat down sheepishly but then paused.

“Then you’re planning to in the future?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“It’s not. I’m against it. Won-woo-nim is a hundred, no, a thousand times too good for you.”

Sang-cheon voiced his opposition, prepared to be kicked out, but the house owner didn’t show any particular displeasure. Rather, he curved his lips silently as if pleased. This made Sang-cheon’s skin crawl even more. It looked as if he was happy to have confirmed the high value of his prey.

“Look, I don’t know why you suddenly asked about guiding sex, but…”

“I was curious about how Guides feel.”

“Well, they say Guides enjoy it too. Apparently during guiding sex, sensitivity increases so pleasure increases too, or something like that. No, wait, that’s not the point!”

When Sang-cheon, who had a wealth of random knowledge, answered without thinking, Gye Yoon’s eyes lit up.

“Are you sure?”

“…No, it’s a lie.”

“Then I’ll just have to try harder.”

As a pleased determination appeared on Gye Yoon’s face, Sang-cheon’s unease grew even more.

“No, it’s not true. Guides actually become like blocks of wood. They don’t feel any pleasure at all, I’m telling you. And what are you trying to work hard at?”

“Everything.”

What do you mean everything? Whether he knew or not that Sang-cheon was worrying in front of overcooked ramen, Gye Yoon muttered lowly.

“I need to go rampage as quickly as possible.”

This is nonsense, absolute nonsense. Sang-cheon was deeply worried about the North’s future. What on earth is going on in this madman’s head?

“…Did you come to see me today to tell me about your plan to go rampage?”

“No. Ji Won-woo told me to pass on a message to you.”

“What? What message?”

“He’s going to do something important and wants you to back him up.”

So what’s this important thing?

“We’re going to wake up the monsters in the Yang and Hong family farms to cause a commotion. He wants you to hack the CCTV and monitor it.”

Me? Surprised, Sang-cheon froze with his mouth open, then blinked.

“If you’re not up to it, don’t do it.”

“No, my skills are definitely good enough. Well, if I’m given some time to prepare…”

As if to say not to worry about that, Gye Yoon nodded.

“There’s time.”

Really? For CCTV, there would probably be places using intranets, so he would need to trace the lines directly in some places, and he would need to investigate the geographical conditions and internal personnel, so he would need at least a month…

“I’ll give you three days.”

…Excuse me?

***

“You’re saying you’ll execute it in four days?”

Seona spoke for the first time after hearing the situation briefing in the small conference room where the Gye family head was. There were Gye Min, the Chief Secretary, Chief Jung, and Won-woo. They said these were all the people in the Gye family who knew about this plan besides Gye Yoon.

Waking up monsters. It was a terrible operation that would betray the conscience of Espers, but fortunately, she wasn’t such a conscientious person. Having already heard that those people had used mutant seeds to cause confusion in the North from below, she actually thought it was a good operation. However, being someone who liked precision, she wanted to clarify even slightly bothersome points.

“Is the information that Ji Geun-oh will spread mutant seeds in four days certain?”

“No. We’ve only estimated it to be around that time. However, we’ve confirmed for certain who will be spreading the mutant seeds. It’s the Yang Family’s space-moving Esper.”

Chief Jung answered. Seona looked at him and asked again.

“Weren’t we supposed to move in sync with their attempt to create chaos in the North?”

“That’s right. But there’s no need for them to be the ones creating that chaos.”

Seona frowned as she processed his words, then nodded with an “Ah.”

“You’re planning to capture the Yang family’s space-moving Esper in advance.”

“Yes. What they want is chaos in the North, so we just need to make it look that way. If we create it ourselves, it’ll be easier to control too.”

Seona asked a few more questions about the operation, and the conversation continued with mainly Chief Jung and the Chief Secretary answering. However, Gye Min was more focused on observing Won-woo than on this conversation. He had been intently studying some documents since earlier.

Before today’s meeting, Won-woo had requested a separate investigation into certain Guides, and what he held in his hands was that very information. He scrutinized the documents carefully, at first tilting his head in confusion, but later his eyes turned serious.

“What seems strange?”

At Gye Min’s sudden words, Seona, the Chief Secretary, and Chief Jung, who had been discussing the operation, stopped talking and turned to look at Won-woo. Won-woo, still unable to take his eyes off the documents, slowly opened his mouth.

“Yes, it’s a bit strange. All the Guides I asked to investigate have had unclear whereabouts or are mostly reported as deceased since nine years ago.”

“That’s right.”

“What on earth happened nine years ago?”

Suddenly, the room went quiet. When Won-woo raised his eyes in confusion, Min answered in a cold voice.

“Nine years ago, the previous head of the Gye family, my parents, died due to going rampage. Most of the Guides belonging to the Gye family also died or disappeared.”

The well-known misfortune of the Gye family was indifferently mentioned. Won-woo muttered ‘nine years’ at those words and asked again.

“Why nine years ago?”

“I don’t know why, but there is one person who suddenly changed as if they became a different person at that time.”

“Who is it?”

As Gye Min recalled that person, her eyes filled with killing intent, but she spoke the name normally.

“Yang Cheon-hyo.”