Free Web NovelI pressed down on Do Yehyun’s tongue with my thumb, checking his reaction. Feeling his irregular breathing against my finger, I rummaged around inside his mouth, then slowly pulled my hand out. The ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) saliva pooled in his mouth came out sticky on my fingers.
“Jehyun....”
Only after my finger slipped out of his mouth did Do Yehyun call me. I stared at his face like I was studying it, then slowly lowered my gaze.
“You like it?”
“I do.”
The answer came without hesitation. His breathing was uneven, like he was slightly panting. Hearing that, I curled the corner of my mouth up.
“Aren’t you expecting more?”
“More... what?”
I dragged Do Yehyun’s leg over, folded his knee, and wrapped my hand around it. Do Yehyun’s eyes flicked to my hand for a moment, then lifted back up to my eyes.
For someone who said he liked it, the fact that he didn’t seem to want anything was kind of refreshing. I looked at Do Yehyun quietly, then took my hand off his knee and got up.
I waited for Do Yehyun to get up too, then lightly stroked the back of his head as I opened the door.
“I’ll tell you what Dungeon you’ll be going into later.”
“If SH asks for support....”
“Stop worrying about SH.”
“.......”
“I wasn’t planning on staying latched onto that guild for long anyway.”
Do Yehyun, who’d blinked at my words, nodded calmly.
“Yes.”
“See you later.”
“Good night....”
“Night, Yehyun.”
After sending Do Yehyun off like that, and only after confirming that he’d gone into his room, I immediately opened Joo Seowon’s door.
‘Thought so.’
The living room had gone quiet, so I figured he’d be in his room.
Normally, he’d be sitting on the bed, hammering at his laptop, then snapping his eyes up at the door like he’d been startled, but today he was lying neatly on the bed.
“What.”
“Going to sleep?”
“Then what, I’m not sleeping?”
I checked the time on my phone.
“It’s eleven.”
“.......”
“You don’t sleep before midnight, Seowon.”
“Today I’m... tired. Why?”
Only then did Joo Seowon sit up, looking a little disheveled, and lean his back against the headboard. He did look kind of tired. I perched on the edge of his bed and stared at him.
“...Hey. Say it.”
“Are you really tired?”
“I said I am....”
As he said that, Joo Seowon covered his face and scrubbed it like he was washing up.
‘Whatever. Next time.’
It wasn’t like it was a Dungeon that was going to break out tomorrow, and I didn’t feel like grabbing a guy who looked that worn out and dragging things out. Stuff you hear when you’re sleepy doesn’t stick anyway. Why bother?
“Fine. Rest.”
“.......”
I stood up without hesitation.
But the moment my hand hit the doorknob, Joo Seowon stopped me again.
“Seo Jehyun. Tell me what you came here for....”
I felt a hand grab my arm and yank me back, like he’d gotten up without me noticing. I turned around without resistance and faced Joo Seowon head-on.
“You say you’re tired, and even if I try to be considerate, this is what I get.”
“What considerate—! If you were going to be considerate, you shouldn’t have come into this room in the first place!”
“Why not?”
“What?”
What a ridiculous thing to say. It was my house, the person I brought here, the room I made for him—why the hell wouldn’t I be allowed to come in?
“Both you and this house, I set it all up. I’m not allowed to come in?”
“What bullshit.... I only signed a contract with you, and that contract didn’t give you the right to fling my door open whenever you want. If you’ve got something to say, say it. What the hell is it you want to talk about?”
I looked at Joo Seowon quietly, then opened my mouth without a fuss.
“About Cheonmyeonggyo, now that I got my rank corrected—”
“...Talk tomorrow.”
This bastard.
For a second I was so dumbfounded I let out a short laugh. He’d just driven me to talk right now, and the moment I actually started, he told me to do it tomorrow? What kind of insane bullshit was that?
“.......”
I pushed my cheek out with my tongue and just stared at him. Joo Seowon took about half a step back, then moved his lips without sound.
“So you made me tell you, and when I try to tell you... you’re saying tell you tomorrow?”
“.......”
“What are you trying to do?”
When I asked because I genuinely wanted to know, Joo Seowon turned his gaze somewhere else entirely.
“Fuck, Seowon....”
“You and I....”
“What.”
“Are you only going to talk about work?”
What the hell is this now?
I reflexively knitted my brows, but Joo Seowon didn’t look like he had any intention of making excuses. Still stubbornly avoiding my eyes, he started on another topic out of nowhere.
“What did you talk about with Do Yehyun?”
“Work.”
“Just that?”
I grabbed Joo Seowon’s chin tight and turned him back to face me.
“What...!”
“Look at me when you talk.”
Joo Seowon’s eyes went wide like he couldn’t believe it. Like he meant to shake my hand off, he hurriedly grabbed my wrist with both hands. I didn’t shake him off, just jerked my chin at him.
“What are you curious about? What I did with Yehyun?”
“.......”
“If I say we only talked about work, are you going to believe me?”
“.......”
He was already sure of it, so what was the point?
I feel like something like this happened before, too. We had this kind of conversation... and what did I do then?
Joo Seowon kept eye contact, lips pressed shut, then finally opened his mouth.
“He was weird. He’s not in his right mind.”
“Who. Yehyun?”
“.......”
“So you two talked.”
From the way he was talking, it didn’t seem like he’d just picked up on it because he was sharp. It sounded like there was something else I didn’t know.
I looked straight at Joo Seowon and asked.
“What did you two do?”
“He said it wouldn’t matter if you got hurt. That as long as he heals you, that’s enough.”
“Yehyun said that?”
“What happened in the Dungeon? None of it adds up. Even the beast merge—he knew way earlier....”
Joo Seowon cut himself off there and shut his mouth. Only then did his eyes roll slightly, like he was checking my reaction, and he bit his lip.
“You two... talk a lot. I thought you weren’t close at all.”
“What? That was basically the first time! Does Do Yehyun even talk to me?”
“Keep living like you’re distant. I thought it’d be easier if you two got close, but seeing you pull this behind my back is kind of fucking disgusting.”
“Disgusting?”
At that, Joo Seowon’s expression went cold instantly.
“Disgust—Seo Jehyun, you really... are you a total piece of shit?”
“Why, what did I do?”
“Fuck, if you feel fucking disgusting, do you think I’m going to like it?”
Saying that, Joo Seowon forced my arm off his chin, wrenching it away with strength.
“What the hell with Do Yehyun.... That time, I saw something.”
“What did you see?”
“.......”
He hadn’t done anything in particular, but his breathing was rough. His cheeks and ears were red, but it didn’t look like embarrassment. It was more like... something raw. Rage?
‘Funny.’
I stared at Joo Seowon and pressed him again.
“What did you see that you’re like this, Seowon....”
“Did you have sex?”
Of course.
I’d expected he’d know, so it wasn’t surprising. The problem was choosing what to say.
“No.”
“Don’t lie.”
“If you’re not going to believe me, why do you keep asking?”
And his reaction itself was funny. No—if we’re being exact, was Do Yehyun’s reaction even funnier? This level almost felt normal.
I softened my voice and asked Joo Seowon quietly.
“Am I your boyfriend?”
“.......”
“Are you doing this because you want to date me or something?”
No way.
Joo Seowon stayed silent for a long time, then looked at me quietly.
“Don’t treat me differently.”
I frowned without thinking. Treat him differently?
“What.”
“Share information equally, at least. Don’t... hide it from me.”
“Did I?”
“Do Yehyun said he knew from before. The beast merge....”
That was something I hadn’t planned on telling Do Yehyun either, originally. I didn’t answer, just stared at Joo Seowon.
“Seo Jehyun.”
“.......”
“Why....”
“If anyone’s getting the benefit here, it’s you.”
If we’re talking information-sharing, it was tilted heavily in his favor.
I let out a small laugh because it was ridiculous.
“You are... softer on Do Yehyun. It’s obvious.”
“Why do you keep getting jealous.”
“.......”
Joo Seowon clamped his mouth shut and avoided my eyes again. This time, I didn’t feel like turning his face back.
In a calm voice, I changed the subject.
“A Dungeon is going to break out soon. It’s an S-rank Dungeon, and Song Hwayoung will probably die there. I’m going to tell Do Yehyun not to go in.”
“Because you’re worried he’ll get hurt?”
“Among other things. What if he accidentally saves Song Hwayoung.”
“Accidentally....”
At that, Joo Seowon’s expression got complicated again. Was that what it looked like, getting yanked back into reality in one shot? Well, I already knew he had a weirdly strong moral streak.
“Seowon.”
“.......”
“Stop thinking.”
Joo Seowon slowly raised his head. I looked at him quietly, then tossed one more line out like it was nothing.
“And stop being jealous.”
“.......”
“Want to kiss?”
“No.” freeweɓnovel.cøm
I let out a short laugh and grabbed his shoulder.
“Either way, I need you....”
“.......”
“And you probably do too.”
“.......”
“No?”
I let my hand drop and wiped the smile off my face. It wasn’t really a funny situation anyway.... It was more awkward than anything.
“Go to sleep.”
“What? After all that, how am I supposed to....”
“If you can’t sleep, come to my room.” frёewebnoѵēl.com
“......”
“I’m going.”
With that, I left Joo Seowon’s room.
Joo Seowon didn’t come by that night, but he did wander around the living room. I stayed up until dawn at my desk, taking care of things that could wait.
***
April 6.
I pulled over for a moment on the shoulder and turned the radio volume up a little more.
[We’ll summarize the breaking news that just came in. In Busan’s Haeundae District, at around 2 p.m. today, we’ve received reports that a Gate has occurred. The exact damage and the Gate’s rank have not yet been confirmed, but an emergency evacuation order has been issued to residents in the surrounding area.]
Over the past few days, time had passed quickly even with just handling work, with a strange lull hanging in the air.
I treated Joo Seowon like usual, and Joo Seowon seemed more complicated than usual, but either way, there was no problem getting through the backlog. He was just spaced out like he was always short on sleep. It wouldn’t be because there was too much work, so there was probably some other reason he couldn’t sleep.
As for Do Yehyun, he was diligently running Dungeons like before, sharpening his practical sense.
And me....
‘It broke out.’
I was preparing for the ‘future.’ The inevitable futures that were definitely coming.
Listening to the urgent Dungeon news on the radio, I crooked one corner of my mouth.
In a few days, Kwon Taehan will regress. There was nothing more certain than that...... nothing.
