DB Vol 5 Part 1

“Ah, too strong. Haa!”

A moan, fractured by pleasure, mixed with his high-pitched voice and spilled out like a scream. Hong Seung-wook, matching the sound, gripped Idan’s waist as he lay prone and thrust his cock harder between his buttocks. The force pressed Idan’s face into the bed, but even louder moans erupted from his mouth. He sobbed, as if trying to prove his excitement with the sounds of his panting.

“Haaang, eugh! Hyung, euuung, I love it! Ah! Ahng!”

The entrance, slick and messy with fluids, made wet, smacking sounds with each full thrust from Seung-wook. But all of it was drowned out by Idan’s scream like moans. He was nearing the peak of pleasure. Today, Seung-wook didn’t need guiding much, but Idan guiding him out of habit.

Because it felt so much better that way. Especially when a hot cock entered him, guiding with force from behind maximized the sensation to the point of trembling. Idan had climbed and experienced that summit several times, so he rocked his hips and exerted force, trying to reach it again.

But the stable energy of someone who didn’t need guiding couldn’t pull the pleasure to its peak. Of course, it still felt good enough to scream. But his body, knowing a more pleasurable end, fidgeted with regret.

“Ah, Hyung, more! Heung! Harder!”

He thrust harder from behind at his request. But sex without guiding lacked stimulation, like chewing gum that had lost its flavor. Still, Idan screamed even louder, as if he were having guiding sex on purpose. When Seung-wook, who had been thrusting rapidly from behind, finished, he shook his body with exaggerated gestures, as if collapsing.

Finally, with only hot air remaining in the silence, Idan twisted his prone body. Seung-wook, who had pulled out his cock as soon as he finished, sat with his back half-turned. Idan examined him with slightly nervous eyes. Could it be that he wasn’t satisfied because the guiding sex hadn’t been done properly? Or did he notice that I was faking my moans?

“Hyuuung…”

Idan crawled towards Seung-wook, clinging to him and calling him affectionately. Seung-wook had always liked Idan looking up at him with wide eyes like this. Sure enough, he turned around with a smile this time as well. And he reached out and ruffled Idan’s hair.

Only then did Idan relax, rubbing his head against his leg like a puppy. In doing so, he failed to see Seung-wook’s expression as he turned his head again. He turned his gaze with a blank face, his smile gone. His hand was moving, but he thought even this was a bit of a nuisance today.

No, today he found the act of mingling bodies with Idan itself annoying. Was it because there was no guiding to be done? Normal sex with Idan felt like just another workout. He came, but the stimulation dropped sharply compared to guiding sex, so he felt nothing much. Besides, Idan’s voice felt particularly loud today.

Was his voice always this loud? Seung-wook swallowed a sigh and thought of someone who rarely made a sound. That guy would grit his teeth and endure, and when he finally let out a deep breath, that sound was so amazing. He had put in the effort and clung to that body for a long time, caressing it, just to hear that sound once.

Every time he reacted, even to a mere caress, the inside of his chest tingled, and he moved his lips and hands even more diligently with a sense of overwhelming emotion. He had never tried guiding sex because the other party was a D-rank Guide and the effects were minimal. But he had experienced for the first time not the intense stimulation felt in his lower body, but the subtle trembling felt in his chest. Yes, that’s what it was like with Ji Won-woo.

But in the end, that excitement didn’t last long either. When the other party didn’t show any more reaction, he felt offended, as if he was being rejected at some point. Because even though he was there by his side like this, Ji Won-woo didn’t change. But for some reason, he now missed his subdued and restrained moans.

Seung-wook thought it was probably because he had been worried about his disappearance all along. But once Ji Won-woo’s naked body came to mind, it didn’t easily disappear. So, when his cell phone rang, he immediately pushed Idan away and got up from his seat as if he had an excuse. He quickly pressed the call button after seeing his friend’s name on the screen.

“Yeah, Geon-young.”

[Are you going north by any chance?]

Geon-young’s excited voice was quite loud, so Seung-wook glanced at Idan once and replied briefly.

“Where are you? I’ll be right there.”

***

Won-woo brazenly said he wanted to do it outdoors, but he still had some shame left. So, he couldn’t fulfill the one thing Gye Yoon asked for.

‘Make some noise.’

Not a chance. Won-woo swallowed the moan that was about to come out of his throat, holding his breath. He almost wanted to cover his mouth with his hand, but if he did that, he would look ridiculous for pretending to be tough by saying he wanted to do it on the rooftop. Because right now, there was someone kneeling in front of him, sucking on his cock.

Long bangs fell down, obscuring his face, but even if they didn’t, Won-woo was in no state to see his face. His mouth was too hot. The tongue that held Won-woo’s cock and the moist mucous membrane inside his mouth were surprisingly hot. The temperature alone was highly stimulating, but Gye Yoon sucked on Won-woo’s cock, putting strength into his lips, and then pushed it back out.

A chilling shiver ran through Won-woo’s body. It felt like exhilarating electricity was flowing through the surface of his cock due to the stimulation. Like popping candy that he had eaten before, which made his mouth tingle all over. Just sucking on it. Haa, shit. Won-woo turned his head to the side and bit his lip to avoid making a sound.

At first, he didn’t realize this kind of stimulation would come. Since he was the one who provoked him first, he tried to remain calm even when Gye Yoon spread his legs and knelt between them. It felt awkward because his thighs were spread to an angle that they normally wouldn’t be, that was all. Then, when Gye Yoon showed a movement as if he was really going to do something, he froze in embarrassment.

If he hadn’t blocked his lips with a kiss first, he might have pushed him away, saying, ‘Wait a minute.’ But he felt a little relieved since he started with a kiss. Because he was used to kissing. And the tension melted into his lips. When his hot lips and tongue intertwined, his head went blank.

Gye Yoon had a high body temperature, and his heat always seemed to engulf Won-woo. He also felt quite good about the feeling of leading the kiss from above, bowing his head, so he seemed to have clung to his lips like that for a long time.

When Gye Yoon took his lips away, he even felt a sense of regret. So, he didn’t even notice that Gye Yoon had already unbuckled his pants. As Won-woo had hoped, his cock was definitely hard.

He didn’t know how long he had been kissing. Before he knew it, the sky had darkened, and the low streetlights sparsely located in the rooftop garden slightly brightened his vision. But Gye Yoon was facing away from the faint light, so he couldn’t see his face well. Even so, Won-woo could clearly see the eyes looking up at him.

The heat and emotions filling his black pupils were directed only at Won-woo. There was no tenderness or romance, only a rough desire that seemed like it would blindly pounce on him, but satisfaction spread again. Won-woo felt a moment of doubt. If someone else looked at me like this, would I feel the same way?

He was afraid that he was just filling his loneliness and being satisfied by relying on the other person’s obsession more than he expected. But the question didn’t last long. Gye Yoon knelt down and put Won-woo’s cock in his mouth as it was. From that moment on, all reason seemed to have flown away. It was the first time someone had sucked his cock like this, so the stimulation exceeded his expectations.

The fear of making noise because it was outdoors also amplified the stimulation. But the man who was engrossed in deeply sucking and pulling out Won-woo’s cock to his throat was not satisfied. Every time Won-woo squirmed, Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s thigh tightly with his hand and controlled him. But with his other hand, he stroked his waist slowly and gently.

“I’ll block the sound, so just let it out.”

Even at the voice mixed with dissatisfaction, Won-woo pressed hard on his lips while looking down at him. Because even at the moment he took his lips away, he was moving the hand that was holding his shaft. Won-woo closed his eyes tightly, holding onto his shoulders.

“Don’t use your ability for something like that.”

He barely managed to get the words out before taking a heaving breath.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s embarrassing.”

Hearing no sound, he opened his eyes and saw a pair of curved lips. It was dark and hard to see, but he could clearly make out that those lips were wet with saliva.

Those lips, wet from sucking his cock, were unbelievably obscene. A wave of pre-cum rushed to his cock as it was stroked in Gye Yoon’s hand. As Won-woo took another breath, Gye Yoon licked his lips and lowered his head again.

“Come inside my mouth.”

The hot lips enveloped the head of his cock again. That alone made his lower belly tremble.

“Hng.”

When Won-woo couldn’t hold back and let out a muffled moan, the lips took his cock in deeper. In that instant, his self-control shattered, and his lower abdomen hardened as if he were about to come at any moment. Won-woo urgently tried to grab Gye Yoon’s hair to push him away.

But instead, he wrapped his arms around Won-woo’s waist and clung closer. As he sucked harder in that position, Won-woo’s whole body tensed up and shuddered as if convulsing. The pleasure that had built up instantly was released through the tip of his cock in several spurts of ejaculation. The tension that had stiffened his body also released all at once, opening up his blocked breathing.

“Haa, haa…”

Rough breaths he couldn’t suppress escaped his mouth. Then a languid murmur snapped him back to attention.

“Doesn’t taste good.”

Won-woo couldn’t even pretend to be nonchalant. His wavering eyes openly revealed his embarrassment. He never dreamed he would end up ejaculating in the other’s mouth during his first oral experience.

“Did you expect it to taste good?”

When he retorted sharply without thinking, Gye Yoon looked up at Won-woo and smiled widely again, curving his lips. Maybe because of the smile filled with pure joy, he looked like a young boy. Even though he had just had Won-woo’s genitals in his mouth moments ago.

“I want to taste it again though.”

Won-woo barely managed to open his mouth, swallowing his embarrassment.

“You’ll get sick if you do that.”

Though it wasn’t much of a comment, Gye Yoon smiled broadly again as if he had just heard the funniest thing in the world. Won-woo’s gaze was momentarily captivated by that face before he quickly turned away. Realizing what they had just done on the rooftop, he suddenly came to his senses.

Not caring about the wetness, he hurriedly pulled up his underwear. As he tried to push him away and get up, Gye Yoon wouldn’t let go of Won-woo’s waist, preventing him from even sitting up.

Won-woo was about to push him away more forcefully, but then relaxed his hands. Well, I was the only one who enjoyed it. But Gye Yoon’s reaction was different than expected. He leaned his body towards Won-woo and hugged his waist with both arms.

As if wanting to press even closer, he clung tightly, causing Won-woo to reach back with his hands to support himself so he wouldn’t fall backwards. Despite Won-woo’s discomfort, Gye Yoon maintained his weight and hugged tightly, burying his face in Won-woo’s chest.

“Hey.”

Won-woo called out, unable to bear it any longer, but Gye Yoon squeezed his arms even tighter. As if afraid Won-woo would tell him to let go, he grumbled,

“Just let me stay like this for a bit.”

Why? Won-woo barely swallowed the question that was about to come out. Whenever his body touched Gye Yoon’s, sexual tension always tightened, making his whole body tense up.

So this kind of simple embrace like skinship felt quite awkward. Of course, it was Gye Yoon who had unilaterally hugged him, but anyone could see there was no sexual desire in Gye Yoon’s actions right now, which made it even more so. Just then, a soft, pleasant voice was heard.

“I like the sound.”

“What sound?”

“All the sounds coming from you.”

Won-woo hesitated, remembering what Gye Yoon had said in this very spot not long ago.

‘Because I hated the sound of people so much.I hated that I could hear everything so well that sometimes I wished I would lose this ability and not be able to hear at all.’

It felt strange. He looked down at the hair just below his chin. As if sensing even Won-woo’s slight movement, Gye Yoon stubbornly pleaded,

“Let me hear more.”

“Why do you like it?”

“I don’t know.”

He answered boldly while pressing his body even closer between Won-woo’s spread legs. At first Won-woo was dumbfounded, then puzzled, and finally felt an inexplicable pity that even he couldn’t understand, leaving him unable to speak.

He kept silently looking at the hair before raising his hand to stroke the black strands. He felt the body beneath his hand flinch. But soon the arms around his waist tightened and took a deep breath. It sounded like the languid sigh of a satisfied beast.

Won-woo didn’t stop his hand, but his mind was still confused. He had clearly seen that Gye Yoon was also fully erect. He had assumed Gye Yoon would naturally demand more intense acts after his own climax, but he just wanted to hug like this? Then Won-woo belatedly realized.

Ah, I didn’t do the guiding. Originally, this act was meant to see the effects that appear when guiding during contact. Won-woo raised his confused eyes to look up at the sky that had turned completely dark. Through the tightly embracing body, he could faintly feel the other’s heartbeat. 

Though he couldn’t hear the sound, this sensation wasn’t bad. No, actually it felt really good.

***

Yoo Geon-young thought that no matter how close he was with Seung-wook, he wouldn’t be able to hear a proper explanation this time. It seemed the Yang and Hong families were intent on taking over the North, and he figured this was definitely confidential information. But Seung-wook agreed easily.

“Yeah, I’m heading to the North. How did you know?”

As Seung-wook raised his glass and asked, Geon-young opened his eyes wide in surprise and picked up his own glass, downing it in one gulp. Then he looked around and lowered his voice.

“You’re trying to take over the North, right?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself. But it seems that way. How did you know?”

When Seung-wook asked again, Geon-young let out a dejected laugh.

“I overheard it by chance while running a dirty errand for the Yang family. I thought it was strange that there were unusually many high-level Espers gathered. They said to prepare thoroughly because they’d be going to the North in a few days. Then someone mentioned that the Hong family would be joining too, naming a few people. Your name was among them.”

Seung-wook sipped his drink, still not revealing anything in his expression. Geon-young watched his friend’s reaction and spoke,

“Hey, but wasn’t the Hong family unhappy with their own clan over the Hong Eun-tae incident? They said the Alpha Seed caused the Hong Director to lose his ability. But that’s not the case?”

“Well. Whether it’s because of the Alpha Seed or not, Ji Geun-oh is about to become a member of the People’s Committee.”

Geon-young, who wanted confirmation that it wasn’t a side effect of the Alpha Seed, frowned at his answer.

“Well, the Hong family head is a sly fox whose true intentions are hard to gauge. But to join hands with Yang Cheon-hyo… It seems certain they’re striking the North this time.”

Geon-young observed his friend’s reaction, but still couldn’t read an answer. He had no choice but to ask directly.

“You’re not going blindly, there must be a justification, right?”

“There probably is.”

“You don’t know either?”

Avoiding the answer, Seung-wook asked as if he just remembered,

“But what do you mean by a dirty errand for the Yang family?”

Geon-young immediately frowned. After checking his surroundings again, he grumbled,

“There’s an aphrodisiac they feed people to make them have sex enthusiastically. I was delivering that.”

He had heard about it in passing before. That in exchange for getting the Alpha Seed from Yang Cheon-hyo, he was doing favors for him. Seung-wook immediately understood the meaning and showed displeasure in his eyes. Geon-young, also disliking this business, continued his grumbling,

“Damn, Yang Cheon-hyo seems obsessed with guided sex. At this rate, Ji Geun-oh is being treated like a living dildo, it’s pitiful. No, how mind-blowing must it be for him to cling like a leech and suck out energy like that…”

“Stop it.”

When Seung-wook cut him off, not wanting to hear more, Geon-young chuckled.

“My father always told me to observe and learn properly? He said this is what happens when an Esper becomes obsessed with Guides. But isn’t it funny? Usually, people get obsessed with Guides, but anyone can see Yang Cheon-hyo is addicted to the act itself, not Ji Geun-oh. If he cared about the Guide, he wouldn’t blindly use him as a dildo like that. But well, I understand. Sex with a well-matched Guide is mind-blowing.”

Geon-young leaned back on the sofa and sighed.

“Now regular sex doesn’t do much for me anymore. Don’t you feel the same?”

“…”

“Hong Seung-wook.”

When Geon-young called him, Seung-wook lifted his eyes from his thoughts.

“For me, even regular sex made my heart race.”

“What? Hey, don’t joke… Ah.”

Geon-young’s expression hardened for a moment as if remembering someone, but soon he asked playfully,

“Do you like Idan that much?”

Surprise spread across Seung-wook’s eyes at the unexpected name. Geon-young immediately noticed his old friend’s reaction and became flustered too. It’s not Idan?

“Are you possibly two-timing?”

“No.”

“Then if it’s not Idan, who made your heart race like that?”

Seung-wook turned his head without answering. Geon-young had one name that came to mind, but he tried to erase it. No way, it can’t be. As he thought this and raised his glass to pour the strong liquor into his mouth, he heard that name from the other person first.

“Is there still no news of Ji Won-woo?”

Geon-young hesitated. He blinked with the glass still at his lips, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Why are you so concerned about Ji Won-woo?”

“Is it wrong to be concerned?”

“It’s not wrong, but when you act like this, it seems like you still have lingering feelings. You’re officially dating Idan.”

Geon-young retorted and added, as if he had made up his mind,

“And you’ve already abandoned Ji Won-woo once. You shouldn’t do that to him.”

Seung-wook gave a puzzled look at Geon-young’s reasoning.

“You’re talking differently about Ji Won-woo compared to before. Aren’t you the one concerned about him?”

“Me? No, why would I…”

Geon-young couldn’t finish the words he had started as if making an excuse. Instead, he tried to hide his expression by drinking again, but he couldn’t conceal his bewilderment. Especially with Seung-wook staring at him with a sharp gaze.

“I didn’t know you were interested in Ji Won-woo.”

“…It’s just, he’s a team member who suddenly disappeared, so we don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. Isn’t it the same for you? Even if it’s a past connection, aren’t you concerned when someone disappears without knowing if they’re alive or dead?”

Fortunately, deflecting the arrow had an effect. Seung-wook took a deep breath and quietly agreed.

“Yes, because we don’t even know if he’s alive or dead.”

***

Since becoming the head of the family, Gye Min had deeply realized one truth of life. The future never goes according to plan. No matter how much money she poured into buying information and bribing people, there were always unpredictable aspects.

So now, her voice asking for confirmation of the mission failure was no different from usual. However, no one thought she was the same as usual.

“You’re saying you lost the Yang family Esper who was supposed to spread seeds in the North?”

She was asking as if to confirm twice. The chief secretary who had reported bowed his head and briefly explained the situation.

“It seems they noticed they were being tracked. We instructed not to pursue further, so our identity wasn’t exposed, but since they’ve gone into hiding, it will take time to find them.”

But everyone here knew the real problem lay elsewhere. They had been trying to find out when they would spread the mutant seeds in the North through his movements. And they needed to know that timing to use the strategy Won-woo had mentioned.

That’s why Won-woo and Seona were also present to hear the report. The two seemed to hesitate to voice their opinions, still considering themselves outsiders, but an insider easily voiced what everyone was worried about.

“This means mutant seeds could be spreading and monsters could be rampaging right now.”

Everyone turned to look at Gye Yoon in his monotone voice that made it sound like no big deal. Seona couldn’t understand why he spoke as if it were someone else’s business when he was supposedly the vice head of the Gye family. However, except for the outsiders, no one looked at him strangely. Rather, Gye Min nodded as if he had made a good point.

“Yes, they could be spreading mutant seeds right now.”

Isn’t this quite serious? Did they perhaps prepare another countermeasure expecting this? Won-woo was as puzzled as Seona. However, the Gye family head’s following instructions were nothing special.

“Since spreading mutant seeds last time had no effect, they’ll try their tricks in more places this time. Tell everyone to be on standby for the next week and monitor the situation. But make sure they don’t realize we’ve noticed anything, so come up with appropriate excuses. What about the mercenaries?”

“Currently, everyone is reluctant to contract with the North.”

The Chief Jung who answered glanced briefly at Gye Yoon, the culprit. However, since entering this place, he had been staring only at Won-woo sitting at the opposite end, regardless of what was being discussed. Gye Min also noticed her brother’s behavior but merely gave him a cold look once before instructing Chief Jung.

“Raise the pay. Throw ten times as much if needed and bring them all in.”

When Chief Jung answered yes, Gye Min’s gaze turned to Won-woo. But she just looked at Won-woo for a moment without saying anything. Feeling as if she was hesitating about something, Won-woo was puzzled when she announced in her usual voice,

“As you’ve heard, we can’t use the plan we discussed before. Since there’s no way to stop the mutant seeds, if monsters appear, we’ll have to do our best to defend.”

Won-woo finally realized why she had called him to this meeting.

“What would you like me to do?”

“No, you stay the same. Go down and create chaos with monsters just like before. Make it bigger and messier than the original plan. Can you do that?”

Won-woo suppressed the smile spreading across his face. To the Gye family head, he was a useful card for protecting the North. Yet she was asking him to intensify the attack. He really liked her decisiveness.

“It’s possible. But that could harm civilians. Of course, most farms are separated from residential areas, but we need to consider the possibility that they might not be able to contain it.”

Won-woo hesitated before asking,

“If you want me to do it without causing harm, I’ll do so.”

“Why should we consider their circumstances? Not necessary. I told you, create chaos.”

“Yes.”

As Won-woo couldn’t help but smile, Gye Min gave him a complex look for a moment. Putting aside the fact that someone she once considered an enemy had become the most useful key, she didn’t like sending him into danger. She announced, holding back her desire to cancel even now,

“I’ll provide any support you need.”

“I only need Mr. Hwang Sang-cheon and Ms. Han Seona for support.”

Everyone looked at Won-woo and Seona, but Gye Min glanced at her brother. He was still staring at Won-woo. However, if anything had changed, it was the look in his eyes. At Won-woo’s words just now, his eyes had become as cold as if covered with a layer of ice.

“No, I’ll go with you.”

As he interjected, Gye Min also stopped her brother’s words.

“You can’t. Stay and prepare for the situation.”

Gye Yoon turned to look at his sister for the first time since entering the room.

“You do fine without me. No, if everyone’s going to die without me, we might as well join under the Yang family.”

“Even if everyone dies without you, you need to stay and protect the North. That’s your role and responsibility. Don’t make excuses about the Yang family, kid.”

Despite Gye Min’s fierce voice, Gye Yoon didn’t even pretend to listen. Looking only at Won-woo, he repeated his words.

“I can only go with you. No one else.”

Seona, who was singled out as ‘no one else’, looked at Gye Yoon with incredulous eyes from the side, but couldn’t open her mouth due to the tense atmosphere. Even if it wasn’t her, it seemed like the enraged Gye Min would punish her brother right away. It was Won-woo’s calm voice that sorted out the situation.

“No. I prefer Ms. Han Seona. And Mr. Hwang will support us from the back.”

Although Won-woo had chosen her, Seona felt as if she had received a death threat. When Gye Yoon’s expressionless face briefly turned to Seona, it couldn’t have been more chilling even without killing intent. How fortunate that the seemingly timid Sang-cheon wasn’t here.

“Why?”

Gye Yoon asked briefly after a long while. His face and eyes showed no emotion, but everyone held their breath. Only Won-woo looked at him for a moment before clearly stating the reason.

“To avoid mission failure, it’s better to have a familiar colleague by my side.”

“I have good abilities that can cover all weaknesses.”

“That’s also a problem. If the ability is too good, it stands out.”

“I’m confident I won’t stand out.”

At his childish stubbornness, Seona almost stepped forward to say just take him along, but Won-woo shook his head again.

“No. I have no intention of taking on uncertain risks when I know a familiar method that can succeed.”

Won-woo’s refusal was quite firm, and Gye Yoon still showed no expression. However, those looking at him strangely felt for a moment that he seemed hurt. Then a slow, arrogant retort was heard from Gye Yoon’s mouth.

“What if I insist on going?”

Everyone inwardly shook their heads in unison. Of course, as if that thug could be hurt by such a thing. This time Won-woo seemed to think for a moment before setting a condition.

“I won’t stop you if you come for rear support after all the problems in the North are resolved.”

For a moment, Gye Yoon’s eyes darkened. Except for Won-woo, everyone united in worrying about the North. Surely that bastard wouldn’t destroy even the intact monster farms? Especially Gye Min, who was contemplating whether to beat that guy with an ice club right now.

Because today, Gye Yoon was quite strange. He had seemed overly interested in Won-woo before, but she thought it was just because he had provided guiding. However, today was a bit different.

As if by some irresistible force, he couldn’t take his eyes off Ji Won-woo. Moreover, what was with that look in his eyes? He was supposed to be seducing Ji Won-woo, not falling for him himself. …Wait? As Gye Min frowned deeply, Won-woo’s question was heard.

“Gye Family Head, when should I depart?”

Gye Min opened her mouth without taking her glaring eyes off her brother.

“Now.”

*

Seung-wook thought the word Geon-young had used to describe the Hong family head a few days ago was spot on. A sly fox. To the public, he was known as a fair and neutral, righteous person, but in reality, it was an exaggeration. He simply kept his options open, testing the waters in various situations and having a foot in every camp.

Seung-wook believed this personality of the Hong family head stemmed from the inferiority complex he felt as a recovery-type Esper. Even if they’re S-rank, recovery-type Espers lack offensive power.

As a result, he tended to be seen as a notch below the Yang family head of the same S-rank or the younger Gye Yoon. For these reasons, Seung-wook thought the Hong family head willingly took Yang Cheon-hyo’s hand despite the tragedy of his daughter Hong Eun-tae.

His father believed that the Hong family was cooperating with the Yang family with the intention of taking over the North, but from Seung-wook’s perspective, this was simply a decision tinged with the Hong family head’s personal feelings. Everyone thought of Ji Geun-oh as the enemy of the Gye family, but Seung-wook suspected that the person who hated the Gye family the most was actually the Hong family head. He seemed like a person obsessed with seizing the opportunity to decisively crush Gye Yoon.

Perhaps because of this, there were those within the Hong family who were reluctant about the family head’s decision. One of them was Hong Jeong-yeong, the family head’s sister. She had worked for the Hong family all her life, and even now, there was no area of Hong family affairs that didn’t pass through her hands.

Despite being a direct descendant of the Hong family, she wasn’t authoritarian, and because she had a good eye for people, many within the Hong family supported her. However, there was one flaw that everyone mentioned about her. She wasn’t bold enough. She had an extremely cautious personality. So she didn’t like the Ji family, who controlled Espers with the whip of the Alpha Seed, or their backer Yang Cheon-hyo.

“You are the elite of the Hong family. The family head is paying a lot of attention to this matter.”

The A-rank Espers who were to go to the North today had gathered at the Hong family residence because they were told there would be encouragement from the Hong family head. However, even as the sky darkened, the Hong family head didn’t show even a hair. In the end, Hong Jeong-yeong greeted them. Everyone was upset about not seeing the family head, but their hearts were softened by Hong Jeong-yeong’s sincere response and encouragement.

However, Seung-wook had believed from the beginning that the Hong family head wouldn’t appear. His father seemed to believe that if Seung-wook stepped up this time, he could secure a position in the Hong family, but most of the A-rank Espers gathered here were either from branch families or Hong Jeong-yeong’s people. So Seung-wook was suspicious. Aren’t we just a disposable advance team