DB Vol 5 Part 8

Her father experimented on Guides to create Purifiers. Yang Cheon-hyo came through a door from somewhere, and only the head of the Yang family could open that door. And Guides who received the Alpha seed injection cannot become Purifiers.

Yet Yang Cheon-hyo was obsessed as if he would dig up even dead graves for the possibility of a Purifier. Yoon-im decided she could no longer postpone it and contacted the head of the Oh family, whom Yang Cheon-hyo had mentioned before. It still felt like using a cannon to kill a fly, but it couldn’t be helped.

“I’d like you to find the person I mentioned before now. …Yes, it’s my brother, Ji Won-woo.”

The Oh family had stood by the Yang family’s side like bodyguards for a long time, but they were not well known to the world. They moved so secretly and didn’t accept outsiders that the doors of the Oh family were always tightly closed. There were various speculations, but the main one was that it might be due to a secret passed down through generations in the Oh family.

In the Oh family, there was always at least one person with the same ability in each generation. That ability holder was given priority for the position of family head. So it was speculated that the Oh family’s secret might be related to that ability, but that was all.

Because they didn’t engage in external activities, no one was interested in the Oh family. So no one knew what ability the Oh family head possessed, nor did they know that this ability made them proficient in tracking. In the early dawn, when there were no people and only white fog filled the world, the tightly closed door of the Oh family opened.

And the head of the Oh family walked out slowly and silently. In the thick fog that blocked his view, he raised his head and closed his eyes as if feeling the wind.

‘The last place Gi An-seok tracked Won-woo’s whereabouts was at the office of a person named Hwang Sang-cheon. But Gi An-seok disappeared as soon as he caught Won-woo’s trail. So please be careful. There was a teleporter with Gi An-seok. I believe there’s a possibility that a very skilled ability user stopped Gi An-seok.

That’s not all. Coincidentally, every time Won-woo caused an incident, an earthquake occurred there, allowing Won-woo to escape each time. If it’s an artificial earthquake, it must be quite a powerful ability user. But there are no ability users in the East or West who could help Won-woo. Do you understand what I mean?’

At the time, he didn’t say anything in response to Yoon-im’s question. There was no need to answer such an easy question. There was only one place that could send such an ability user.

“I understand it’s a difficult task. I’ll provide all the support you want as much as possible.”

The Oh family head couldn’t understand why they were so desperately searching for a mere D-rank Guide. However, he didn’t care who the target was anyway. He just needed to do what they wanted and receive what he needed from Yang Cheon-hyo. That was all. The Oh family head opened his eyes and began to walk as if he had made a decision. The direction was north.

“I hear there’s talk that the mutant seeds created by the Yang family are different from the monsters spread by the Hong family this time.”

Hwang Sang-cheon, as usual, was eagerly relaying public opinion from the Hong and Yang families, acting as a self-appointed news source. In the spacious living room, Han Seona, who had come to visit after a few days, brought some snacks, and everyone was munching on them together.

“I heard that too. But people don’t seem to care much? Rather, they’re mocking the Yang family for only talking without helping the alliance. Still, the debate has definitely shifted to the mutant seeds. It’s almost taken for granted that they were made with Alpha seeds, so Guide One is taking a lot of flak. Well, it’s good for us, but…”

Seona glanced at Won-woo as she spoke. Even when his family was mentioned, Won-woo was more preoccupied with looking at the yakgwa, fascinated after taking a bite. Finding his expression cute, Seona asked with a smile.

“Is it delicious?”

“The yakgwa is crispy like a cookie.”

“Ah, that’s a characteristic of this region, they say.”

Sang-cheon chimed in knowingly, brushing off crumbs that had fallen on his clothes.

“I tasted it once when I came here and found it so delicious that I went all the way to the city to buy some.”

At those words, Seona frowned.

“Isn’t it still dangerous for you to be moving around? The last place those chasing Won-woo attacked was Mr. Hwang’s office, wasn’t it?”

“Chief Jung said it should be fine for this level of outing since some time has passed. And the Gye family has provided me with strong security.”

Sang-cheon smiled awkwardly, but his expression froze when he met Seona’s expressionless face.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Did you eat all the yakgwa you bought on that outing by yourself?”

“…I have a habit of overeating sometimes.”

Despite Sang-cheon’s timid excuse, Seona maintained her disapproving gaze and asked Won-woo,

“But weren’t you in the North in your original world? Didn’t they have these there?”

“No. We had them, but when I was young, our side was losing in the war, so resources were scarce. When I grew up, I mostly ate packaged instant food because I was directly involved in the war.”

Was he that busy? Despite the sympathetic looks, Won-woo offered a plain reason.

“There was a high possibility of poison in gifts or unpackaged food.”

Crunch. Won-woo took a bite of yakgwa while looking at the two frozen people, then held up the remaining yakgwa.

“It’s really delicious.”

“Was it dangerous enough to worry about poisoning?”

Seona carefully asked on behalf of Sang-cheon, who couldn’t speak. Won-woo nodded as if it was no big deal.

“Purifiers were the top priority elimination targets for all Espers.”

Won-woo swallowed the yakgwa in his mouth and chuckled as if reminiscing about the past.

“The alliance of the Yang family and the Hong family who fled to their side held out until the end, but we had quite a hard time because of the assassins they sent.”

“The two families held out as an alliance?”

Yes, Won-woo recalled the enemy he fought until the very end.

“The leader guiding the remaining Espers was capable. Even though there weren’t many Espers left, their fighting spirit was remarkable.”

“Who was this capable leader?”

“The vice head of the Hong family who died recently.”

A strange silence fell. For a moment, only the sound of Won-woo quietly crunching on yakgwa could be heard in the living room.

“The Espers don’t seem to realize how great an asset they’ve lost.”

“Not just that, the Hong family is going to ruin themselves.”

As Sang-cheon shook his head, Seona clicked her tongue. Then she asked Won-woo curiously,

“Just how outstanding was she? The vice head of the Hong family hasn’t really shown any remarkable achievements here.”

“I heard she was someone who continuously instilled a positive fighting spirit. Plus, she was good at gathering people and utilizing them effectively. Especially, we suffered a lot because she made excellent use of an Esper from the Yang family whose ability was shrouded in secrecy.”

As he said the last words, Won-woo’s voice sank strangely. For a moment, it seemed like he tightened his grip on the yakgwa. But as if it was an illusion, he added as usual,

“That Esper had excellent tracking abilities.”

An Esper shrouded in secrecy? Is there such an Esper in the Yang family? Both were puzzled as it was the first time they’d heard of this.

“Is it an Esper hidden by the Yang family?”

“No. It’s the Oh family head who has worked under the Yang family for a long time.”

Sang-cheon still seemed clueless, but Seona, who had quite a bit of information about Espers, raised her eyebrows curiously.

“I’ve heard of the Oh family head. I’ve heard suspicions that he might be a mental ability user because he rarely shows himself even when problems arise in the Yang family. But if he’s good at tracking… he could be similar to Gi An-seok. The memory reading ability user who found Mr. Hwang’s office.”

Won-woo nodded.

“We speculated the same. There’s no other way he could find Purifiers who didn’t reveal their identities so well. Though towards the end, we even doubted that.”

“Why?”

“All the Purifiers who became targets didn’t sense the energy of the pursuing Esper until they were attacked. Skilled Purifiers can sense the energy used by Espers from quite a distance. The fact that no one sensed it means the Oh family head tracked without using his ability.”

“So you’re saying he’s just good at tracking?”

When Sang-cheon asked in surprise, Won-woo shook his head ambiguously.

“I’m not sure. There are parts that don’t add up if he pursued without any ability, just with his bare skills. We thoroughly checked the CCTV around the dead Purifiers, but we could never find the same person.”

“Is it an ability to hide his appearance? No, that ability would require using energy too, right?”

“Yes. That’s why the Oh family head was a significant headache for us.”

“Then how did you eliminate the Oh family head in Won-woo’s world?”

An awkward smile spread across Won-woo’s lips. Why is he smiling? As the two wondered, Won-woo revealed the Oh family head’s final fate.

“He just died on his own. When we asked an Esper we captured later, it seems he had an accident during an operation. Surprisingly, even within their ranks, almost no one knew how the Oh family head died. Anyway, it was certain he was dead. We were just lucky.”

Although he said they were lucky, his voice was mixed with bitterness and anger. Sang-cheon and Seona inwardly admired him, guessing that he seemed dissatisfied with a victory obtained by luck. He appeared to want to conclude everything definitively. Then Seona asked curiously,

“How did you avoid getting caught by the Oh family head? Was that luck too?”

“Luck played a part, I guess. But I never stayed in the same place for more than three days. Well, and I was careful with food too.”

Won-woo picked up another yakgwa and crunched on it. But the two looking at him couldn’t simply rejoice with him, saying it was just luck.

It seemed that he had lived quite, no, very harshly in his original world. All they could say was this. Sang-cheon quietly pushed his yakgwa towards Won-woo.

“Eat this too. Eat it all. Should I make some ramen for you too?”

*

“The Hong family is making a fuss about you. They’re saying you might be the reason why the North successfully defended against the monsters. They’re insisting on checking your condition, asking why you’re living normally without going rampage.”

“Just tell them I’m dead.”

Gye Min, who had been explaining monotonously, looked up at her brother who was answering. Gye Yoon, clearly displeased about being summoned, was sitting askew and looking out the window.

“Does this look like a joke to you? Is your brain empty with only wind inside? Where are you spouting nonsense?”

When harsh criticism came out of Min’s mouth, Chief Jung and the Chief Secretary, standing beside her, looked at Min in the same way. Just before, when the two had informed Gye Min about the Hong family’s unreasonable claims, she had said,

“Condition? Tell them that bastard is already buried underground due to going rampage.”

But the sister, who had completely forgotten her own words, continued nagging her brother.

“And you, can’t you sit up straight and answer properly? Even a chicken would be more well mannered than you.”

Gye Yoon, who hadn’t reacted to his sister’s ‘air-head’ comment, suddenly turned his head.

“Fuck, then why don’t you make a chicken your brother instead.”

Gye Min’s eyebrows shot up at her brother’s curse. However, knowing well that getting angry and excited first means losing, her voice rather lowered.

“Fine. From now on, I’ll make a chicken my brother and call it Gye Kko-Kko. You’re not even a Gye anymore, so I’ll call you Mr. Kko. Kko Yoon. It suits you well, Kko Yoon.”

Perhaps because it suited him too well, Gye Yoon’s jaw trembled with anger.

“Childishly playing with names, fuck. Even kids don’t do this shit.”

But fights between siblings always end childishly. Gye Yoon finally uttered Gye Min’s childhood nickname.

“Gye Minpae(nuisance), you really haven’t changed, have you?”

“Fuck, you little… You want to die?”

Gye Min slowly rose from her seat, but frost was forming on her hands. At this point, the Chief Secretary stepped in between the two with a smile.

“Miss Hwan is having fun playing outside for once. Why don’t you two go out and give her an exciting fight to watch?”

The siblings threw disapproving glances at the Chief Secretary, but both closed their mouths at that point. Chief Jung looked at the Chief Secretary with admiring eyes before turning his gaze back to the Gye siblings.

It was quite fascinating. In the Hong and Yang families, siblings were fighting for power, inflating their factions by dragging in elders, branch families, and allied families to grab even a little more.

In contrast, the Gye family siblings were fighting over mere nicknames. Is this fortunate? It’s evidence that both of them think more about the family and its members than their personal greed. However, even if it’s not a power struggle, their childish pettiness was embarrassing to watch.

“This is all because that chicken bastard was let loose in the garden. Who the hell let it out?”

“I did.”

Gye Min sat back down and coldly spat out, returning to her usual self. Gye Yoon looked at her with eyes that said he knew she was the culprit all along.

“Why?”

“To lure Hwan outside. I thought if the chicken was running around and crowing, Hwan, who likes animals, might take an interest.”

Gye Yoon looked at his sister expressionlessly, then silently turned his gaze back to the window. Since Hwan started going outside, security guards had increased in invisible spots all around the garden.

Most were Espers, but there were occasionally normal people too. Gye Yoon checked their positions one by one by sound, then slowly opened his mouth.

“If she receives proper guiding, she’ll come out on her own. Doing unnecessary things is just like Gye Minpae.”

Min stood up again, spitting out curses and “Kko Yoon.” As the unruly Gye brute also stood up, not willing to back down a second time, the Chief Secretary had to intervene again. Only after the Chief Secretary finally mentioned the late former family head did they move on to the main point of the day.

“We can’t hide the Vice Head’s condition forever. Rumors are already circulating within the Gye family that the Vice Head has recovered after receiving guiding. It’s only a matter of time before the Hong family finds out.”

Chief Jung informed them of the situation, glanced at Gye Yoon once, then continued calmly.

“Even though we’ve turned some of the Hong family to our side, the Hong family head is still alive and well there. As long as he’s wary of the Vice Head, who is also S-rank, I believe things could return to how they were before at any time. If we lose the Guide supply we gained from this incident, our internal situation will worsen too.”

“So you want me to act like an idiot who can’t receive guiding?”

Gye Yoon’s voice was indifferent, but his eyes were cold. Gye Min answered in place of Chief Jung, who had closed his mouth.

“No, we can’t hide that forever. We’ll reveal your condition. Instead, we’ll use this as an opportunity to set a trap. To completely control and manipulate the Hong family.”

Gye Yoon realized this was the purpose for which his sister had called him. Because it was something he would likely oppose. Gye Yoon’s eyes turned fierce.

“You’re not saying we should reveal Ji Won-woo as my Guide and use him as bait, are you?”

Min frowned as soon as she heard this. This balloon head.

“Do you think I’d use such a one dimensional strategy? Ji Won-woo is the most important person in the Gye family right now.”

Min’s gaze turned outside. Once Hwan started going outside, she now wanted to play only outdoors. So they had built not only swings and slides but also a sandbox right in the middle of the garden.

“We’ve created a fictional character not registered in Guide One as your guide. If anyone tries to find your guide, they’ll reach this fake guide.”

“How can there be a Guide not registered in Guide One?”

“It’s possible if it’s a child under ten who didn’t even know they were a guide.”

“And then?”

“When they learn you can use your powers normally now, the old man from the Hong family will get anxious.”

Gye Yoon smirked, recalling the man he had seen as a child. The adult’s eyes looking at the young him were full of hostility and wariness. If he couldn’t hide his emotions at that age, he wouldn’t have improved just because he’s older now.

“Because he wants to become stronger than me. Not realizing it’s an impossible dream.”

It was an arrogant statement, but Min didn’t particularly refute it. She just stared at her brother as if seeking agreement.

“He’ll definitely try to get Alpha seeds. Even though he knows Alpha seeds have almost no effect on S-rank, Hong family head will try to use them out of an inferiority complex. So we need Alpha seeds as bait.”

“No.”

“Are you Ji Won-woo’s spokesperson?”

“If Ji Won-woo dies in an accident while making Alpha seeds, Hwan-i will have to be locked up in her room again. She’ll just hear the sound of chickens crying outside while hiding.”

Gye Yoon looked out the window mockingly and asked dryly,

“Did you properly investigate all the bodyguards?”

“Of course. They’re all people who have worked for the Gye family for a long time. Focus on the conversation.”

But Gye Yoon cut her off as he stood up.

“I have nothing more to say. If you’re thinking of attacking the old man of the Hong family, come up with another plan. Ji Won-woo can’t be in any danger at all.”

Gye Min stared at his brother expressionlessly and muttered,

“You talk like you love Ji Won-woo.”

“That’s right, I love him.”

There was no expression on Min’s face, but the eyes of the Chief Secretary and Chief Jung standing beside him shook uncontrollably. Min called out to Gye Yoon as he was about to leave and asked urgently,

“What about Ji Won-woo? Does Ji Won-woo love you too? No, does he at least like you?”

“Yes, someday.”

“…”

As soon as Gye Yoon left his sister speechless behind, curses were heard from beyond the closed door.

“Ugh, that idiot bastard.”

*

Sang-cheon’s lodging was a two story house at the end of a residential area, backed by a low hill. Won-woo habitually climbed onto the roof, hid his body, and surveyed the surroundings. Even if one wasn’t a sensitive Esper, hidden individuals could be found by observing over time.

It was said that the Gye family had assigned bodyguards to Sang-cheon’s side, and indeed there were people watching around the house while hiding. Judging by the occasional feeling of Esper energy, about half seemed to be Espers. What surprised Won-woo was that even though they were Espers, they were as skilled at concealment and ambush as regular bodyguards.

Espers want to be treated well everywhere, and they are treated that well, so guarding Sang-cheon, an ordinary person, could hurt their pride. Are the Gye family’s Espers as lacking in a sense of authority as their master? It was truly strange. If the Gye family had survived to the end in my world, could they have coexisted with Espers?

But this hypothesis soon disappeared as someone came to mind. The last survivor of the Gye family, looking outside with emotionless eyes. Adding “what if” to a tragic ending only reopens wounds. Now the old world had become a nightmare for Won-woo.

It shouldn’t be repeated. Not here. Here, I have to protect the Gye family.

Was it because of this strong determination? Won-woo’s body moved instinctively at the sudden strong Esper energy that appeared behind him. Before even confirming who it was, he twisted his upper body and reached out with his right hand.

Thwack!

His arm was blocked, but that was expected. The real attack was always with the left hand. Won-woo slightly twisted his upper body to the side and instantly grabbed the other person’s nape with his left hand. Fortunately, he didn’t have to choke them. The person whose neck was grabbed slowly curved their lips into a smile and their eyes gleamed.

“Wow.”

Hearing Gye Yoon’s soft exclamation, Won-woo frowned instead. He had moved too habitually while being on guard and observing the surroundings.

“I’m sorry. You appeared so suddenly.”

As he apologized and tried to remove his hand, Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s wrist and pulled him towards himself. Won-woo tried to resist by putting strength in his feet, but he hesitated at Gye Yoon’s soft voice.

“That was really thrilling.”

Won-woo couldn’t believe his ears. Being attacked? Won-woo took a step back warily.

“Is that your taste?”

“No. I really felt in danger. For someone like me, it’s rare to feel this way. And my taste is the opposite.”

The confident words befitting an S-rank Esper were annoying, but the last part was more irritating. His taste is the opposite? While Won-woo was momentarily confused, Gye Yoon tightened his grip on his wrist.

“It’s frustrating. To think that Espers got hard while fighting you.”

“They all lost their lives to me before they could get hard.”

Won-woo said coldly and tried to pull his hand away again, but Gye Yoon, as always, wouldn’t let go easily.

“Not all of them.”

“Not all, that’s true. Since you, who got the hardest for me, are still alive and well.”

“I’m curious about that too.”

Gye Yoon persistently asked, knowing Won-woo was upset.

“The me from your world must have gotten hard for you too. Did you kill that me?”

Won-woo tried not to react and missed the timing to answer. The Gye Yoon from his world was a sore spot for Won-woo. He always tried to avoid the subject, and Gye Yoon seemed to have noticed. So seeing Won-woo’s angry eyes, he smiled, baring his teeth.

“You let me live.”

“…”

“Why did you let me live?”

The words to stop came up to his throat, but Won-woo opened his mouth harshly.

“Because you had value to be used.”

Gye Yoon was still smiling, but his eyes became even fiercer.

“What did you use me for?”

“Why? Do you think I used you as a dildo?”

“Did you use me as a dildo?”

Won-woo looked at him incredulously at the casual retort.

“Do you think I would? Absolutely not.”

“Why didn’t you?”

What kind of question is that? Won-woo was puzzled, then noticed the smile had completely disappeared from Gye Yoon’s face.

“Don’t tell me you liked him?”

His question revealed undisguised displeasure. Won-woo felt strange, as if he was jealous of another version of himself.

“…No.”

“That’s a relief.”

Relief? Don’t be ridiculous. He should have liked him. That emotion was the only compensation he could have given him. A sharp awl rose from within Won-woo and suddenly stabbed painfully. Ignoring the pain, he asked Gye Yoon coldly,

“You’re relieved that you were used?”

“That wasn’t me.”

“…”

“He’s a different person from me.”

A cold voice flowed from his smiling face. I know. The answer murmured inside Won-woo’s mouth. And he hurriedly averted his gaze.

“But why did you suddenly appear behind me?”

“That bastard might have died after only one sidedly loving you, but I won’t.”

“Watch your language.”

Won-woo retorted sharply, but Gye Yoon replied expressionlessly.

“You didn’t like him, and you didn’t kill him, so what about that bastard is still holding you back?”

Won-woo turned his gaze away again and ran his hand through his hair. Then, taking a deep breath, he shot back.

“I can’t say. I can’t say anything about him.”

“Why?”

“Because that time doesn’t belong to me.”

He wanted to dedicate that time they spent together entirely to him. In place of the heart he couldn’t give, he wanted to keep that room they shared, the breeze that came through the open window, even the peaceful silence. He didn’t want to spill even a speck of time’s dust to anyone else. Gye Yoon didn’t ask further, but his darkened eyes filled with a fierce light.

“Why do I feel so twisted inside?”

“Maybe you’re narrow-minded.”

Gye Yoon thought for a moment and nodded.

“Maybe. Seeing how Hong Seung-wook suddenly seems ridiculous.”

“Why is that name coming up?”

“There are many names that could come up. But they all seem ridiculous.”

A chilling murmur flowed from Gye Yoon. He caught Won-woo’s gaze and repeated what he had said earlier.

“That bastard really makes me feel twisted inside.”

“Don’t mind my past.”

“I can’t. My head is spinning with jealousy.”

His voice, honestly admitting it, was mixed with anger and irritation. And his hand gripping Won-woo tightened. The gripped arm hurt, but on the other hand, his heart was pounding. His jealousy felt like a rope tying him down, and a strange elation spread shallowly. I wish he would tie me down more. Won-woo lowered his gaze, embarrassed by this desire.

“Your feelings are none of my business.”

He tried to pull his hand away, but Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s other arm with his free hand.

“It hurts, so let go?”

“If you don’t run away.”

“Ha, you can chase me even if I run, right? You even suddenly appeared behind me just now. That’s why I thought you were an enemy.”

“You’re not telling me not to chase you.”

“…It’s useless, isn’t it?”

Gye Yoon’s lips curved widely without a sound.

“That’s right. It’s useless.”

Won-woo forcibly held back the urge to smile back and nagged again.

“Don’t appear behind me next time.”

“I’ll try. I’m not used to teleporting to someone as a target yet.”

For some reason, it felt like a lie, but Gye Yoon smiled and made a shameless excuse.

“And I only thought about wanting to see you quickly.”

“…”

“By the way, it’s not because I need guiding.”

As he spoke, Gye Yoon rubbed the inside of Won-woo’s wrist with his thumb.

“I thought you would want to see me too.”

“No. That’s your misunderstanding.”

“It’s okay. I felt really good while I was misunderstanding.”

Unlike his soft voice mixed with laughter, his eyes were unilaterally pouring out emotions, which was burdensome. The problem was that either way, it wasn’t bad for Won-woo. He keeps wanting more. He wished that even if he refused and pushed him away, Gye Yoon would follow, confess, be jealous, and forcibly hold onto him.

The twisted desire that was now clearly revealing itself had become difficult to ignore. Even being gripped tightly by the wrist like this felt good. But the pretzel like twisted greed was not easily satisfied. Won-woo deliberately pushed him away coldly.

“Just don’t force that delusion on me.”

“You’ll need me, Won-woo. What for?”

“What use would you be?”

“I’ll be an amazing dildo for you.”

When Won-woo snickered, Gye Yoon tilted his head to the side and observed that smile intently.

“Are you doing it on purpose?”

“Doing what?”

“Smiling so sweetly like that even while putting up walls. It’s agonizing.”

“It’s driving me crazy,” Gye Yoon muttered, adding on. The smile quickly disappeared from Won-woo’s face. ‘Yes, to some extent it is on purpose.’ Unable to confess that, he threw out a different excuse.

“Well, if its performance is amazing, a smile is nothing for a dildo.”

“It is amazing.”

Suddenly he stepped half a step closer. At the sudden movement, Won-woo reflexively opened his eyes sharply. Seeming pleased that he had raised his guard, Gye Yoon’s eyes filled with laughter.

“How did you know?” 

At his muttered words, a question mark appeared in Won-woo’s mind. Know what? But before he could speak, darkness enveloped Won-woo’s surroundings. Sound disappeared and there was a familiar suffocating feeling, as if his body was being sucked into empty space. This lasted only a moment before he felt solid ground beneath his feet again.

Another sudden teleportation without warning. Won-woo tried to regain his balance and was about to say something to Gye Yoon. But then he looked around and froze.

It was an interior made entirely of wood, pillars, walls, and even the ceiling. Like a log cabin from a foreign film. It looked familiar. Of course it did. It was the place they had trespassed in before.

“What are you doing bringing us here?!”

When Won-woo yelled angrily, Gye Yoon replied nonchalantly.

“I bought it.”

…Ah. With his mouth half open, Won-woo blinked and asked,

“Did the owner sell it because it got dirty?”

When Won-woo worried about the place’s chastity, Gye Yoon shook his head.

“No. I paid triple the market price.”

For the first time, Won-woo truly grasped Gye Yoon’s position. Even for a rich family’s son, this was… Ah right, he is a brute.

“A-A refund…”

“Not possible.”

“…Of course not, damn it.”

Won-woo rarely cursed as he looked around the house with furrowed brows.

“Why on earth did you buy it? To commemorate something?”

“To take responsibility for dirtying it.”

Won-woo frowned seriously at being teased, but the laughter in Gye Yoon’s eyes didn’t disappear. However, Won-woo’s next retort changed it to a look of surprise.

“Is it easier to find places you’ve stayed at for a long time, even without me as a marker or without the monster farm’s energy?”

Having hit the nail on the head, Gye Yoon just twisted his lips without answering. Won-woo looked around the interior again. Since this place wasn’t originally owned by the Gye family and had no connection to them, it might work well as a hideout if used properly.

“Sometimes Won-woo-ssi shows animal like instincts.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s more animal like than anyone, Gye Yoon-ssi?”

“What kind of animal?”

At the sudden question, what came to mind was a predator hiding silently in the darkness with only its eyes gleaming. But saying that would probably make him take it as a compliment and like it even more. So he deliberately blurted out any animal that came to mind.

“Considering your size, more like a cow or horse… Why are you laughing?”

“Because I like it.”

“The cow?”

“The horse.”

Gye Yoon’s eyes crinkled as if unable to hold back his laughter. Won-woo stared at his smiling face as if entranced and muttered.

“…It’s really sparkling.”

The smile slowly faded from Gye Yoon’s face. Instead, as his gaze deepened, Won-woo added in a stiff tone as if coming to his senses,

“I mean you don’t resemble a horse at all.”

“Am I sparkling?”

“No.”

Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s wrist while holding his gaze. Won-woo tried to pull his arm away, but he gripped it tightly and wouldn’t let go.

“Have you fallen for me?”

“Absolutely not. I just said you don’t look like a horse.”

“But I do.”

Before Won-woo could ask how, Gye Yoon placed Won-woo’s hand on his lower abdomen. It was in a precarious position, just a little lower and it would touch Gye Yoon’s dick bulging in his pants.

Even without him saying what resembled what, Won-woo could guess. He didn’t want to pretend to know, but his gaze involuntarily dropped down. He could see it erect, visible even through the pants.

“You get aroused at any time.”

“Yes, as long as the one I want is right in front of me.”

Gye Yoon brazenly replied as he pulled Won-woo’s hand down between his thighs. The long, protruding shaft touched Won-woo’s hand. With Gye Yoon’s hand overlapping and applying pressure, Won-woo felt the hardness against his palm. When Won-woo didn’t refuse, the large hand moved in a rubbing motion while covering Won-woo’s.

“How is it? Does it feel like a horse?”

It should have been an unpleasant sexual harassment, but the low, husky voice made it feel like a whisper of love. That’s why my heart is racing, Won-woo excused himself as he looked up. Gye Yoon’s eyes sparkled, seeming pleased their gazes had met. Lost in those eyes, Won-woo belatedly understood the question he heard.

“Want to ride?”

“Ride what?”

“Ride my cock. I’ll cum inside you over and over.”

Even this lewd and shameful expression was masked by his handsome voice. The sweetness melting his ears made Won-woo feel like his insides were turning to mush. It was a frightening sensation for Won-woo, who had always been on guard and never let his tension slip for even a moment. He needed to escape this feeling quickly.

But the place where they were was in a remote location in the middle of the forest. When he first went outside to check their location and find the road, it took much longer than expected to reach it. They were that cut off from the world. And it was a place no one could find.

Realizing how safe it was and that it didn’t matter what they did, Won-woo wanted to unleash his twisted desires. Like the person in front of him who made no effort to hide his arousal, Won-woo also loosened one of the belts of caution that had tightly bound him.

“If you put a bridle in your mouth and wear a proper saddle, I might try it.”

When Won-woo brazenly threw out the joke, the corner of Gye Yoon’s mouth twisted upwards.

“Skip the saddle. But the bridle seems doable.”

…Doable?

“But since there’s no real bridle, I’ll be satisfied with finding a suitable rope to put around my neck instead.”

No, he didn’t want to become a pervert satisfied with such things. Even if he let down all his guards, it was impossible for Won-woo.

“Don’t tell me that’s your taste? Wasn’t it the opposite?”

“That’s right. My taste is more towards tying up the other person and holding their leash. But it’s more thrilling when the ridden horse mounts its owner.”