chapter four

Heesu lifted the corner of the duvet that was neatly covered. It was warmed to body temperature and smelled of warm fabric softener. As he slipped under the cover, the person lying under the blanket reached out to him.

"Yugeon hyung."

For no reason, he tried to call the other person drawling his words cutely. There was no answer. It was good enough. The fact that Yugeon didn't push him away was already making his heart tickle.

He was a guide who did not panic or have seizures even though they were lying together under the same blanket, and for Heesu, it was as absurd as moral Shinje, lively Taein, and cultured Chan. Of course, Yugeon was asleep and couldn't resist even if he wanted to, but it didn't matter because it's not that important.

He giggled out loud. Heesu pulled the blanket up to his neck and gently held Yugeon's hand under the blanket. He interlocked their fingers, playing with Yugeon's long straight fingers. He even tried to kiss Yugeon's cheek.

"Why don't you just do porn?"

Chan, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed, made a face like he was about to vomit with a frown. Heesu's eyes lit up.

"Ah, hyung! That's a good idea. Should I?"

"What?"

"I've played with several guides at the same time, but I've never done it with one guide in front of many people so it's a little nerve wracking. But come to think of it, wow, I think I'm going to get up. Can I do it right now?"

"Don't you know what sarcasm is? You crazy bastard."

Chan glared at him furiously. Taein, who was rattling something with his body half turned to them, interjected without looking back.

"Kwon Heesu."

"Hyungs always have something to say to me."

"I told you not to speak like that. You're no longer a child."

"What do you mean? I'm only twenty. I'm at the age of whining."

Heesu raised his body, grumbling. He then fiddled with Yugeon's cheek and earlobe a few times, as if it was a pity that it ended like this. Although Yugeon was older than Heesu, it was only a three year difference, so he didn't feel very mature. With his eyes closed and the sharp eyes that occupied most of his impression disappeared, he looked much more gentle and young.

"Yugeon hyung is the only one who accepts me."

"What is this bastard talking about now?"

Heesu murmured sullenly. Chan's bewildered response was neatly ignored. Meanwhile, Yugeon was dreaming. He dreamed of lying with Heeseong on a worn-out bed in a cramped studio apartment, and Heeseong letting out pained moans from time to time. His body aches, which he had always carried around like a chronic disease, seemed to have worsened more severely this time.

Heeseong hated seeing Yugeon guiding others. Due to the contract, Yugeon was obligated to hold hands with other Hunters or even hug them, and whenever they got back home, he would be in hysterics. He hated it even more when a guide, not Yugeon, guided him. Heeseong was a sensitive child even before his awakening. But his senses became sharper after he became an Awakened, shuddering just at the occasional slight touches with other people.

On days when Heeseong was very sick, Yugeon could not leave the house all day, taking care of him. There was no such thing as paid leave so they had to earn as much money as they could. This was why Yugeon joined the dangerous raids even as a guide, coaxing Heeseong.

"Yugeon-ah."

Heeseong reached out from under the covers and interlocked their fingers. He got goosebumps. No matter how often Heeseong and Yugeon touch each other for guiding, it wasn't like this.

"What are you doing?"

Confused, Yugeon tried to pull out his entangled hand. But it didn't fall out. Rather, the strength in his hands grew stronger and stronger. Heeseong that Yugeon knew was not this strong. Something was out of the ordinary.

"Hyung. Hyung! What's wrong with you?"

He shouted urgently and raised his head to face Heeseong. Heeseong's face had changed. It wasn't the usual thin and pale face full of frowns... it was like when he was sprawling on the cold asphalt, blood dripping from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Gasp!"

Yugeon sprang to his feet with a fit. Before he knew it, his forehead and back were wet with cold sweat. A dimly lit ceiling came into view. Ceiling? He was definitely in front of the subway station. Why a ceiling all of a sudden? He looked around hurriedly. He met three pairs of eyes staring at him with no expressions. A cold shiver ran through his fingertips and toes.

"Huh... uh..."

The scenery he encountered when he was not in a proper state of mind was enough to confuse him. Yugeon looked around the room with unfocused eyes and gripped his hands to steady the trembles. The warm hands that were covered in a blanket cooled down like ice in an instant.

"Yugeon hyung! Hello."

Heesu greeted him with a big smile. It was a friendly attitude that did not fit the situation. Yugeon noticed a dimple on one side of his soft cheeks. Over his shoulder, he could see Chan and Taein looking this way.

This was his room in Erewhon's headquarters. Did he faint as soon as he left the gate?

"Right. Wait a minute."

Heesu stormed out of his seat. He went to the table in the corner of the room and came back with something on a tray. It was steamed porridge kept warm in an insulated container.

"I made this. My hobby is cooking. But I'm better at baking than cooking. I made porridge on purpose today because they said you aren't feeling well, but I'll make you something more delicious later. Like a dessert."

Heesu sat on the edge of the bed with a bowl of porridge, telling him unasked stories.

The reason Heesu liked cooking was simple. No matter how optimistic and bright he was by nature, he was bound to be a little sullen when he had to face countless people who looked at him like a monster. In particular, he never understood what he did for the guides to break easily every now and then. They approached him first to get along with him so he just had fun with them.

In comparison, the food was always lucid. If you process a set amount of ingredients for a set amount of time, you get a result. And even if you peel them, cut them with a knife, chop them into pieces, or put them in boiling water, they won't resist or run away.

"I gave you water last time, porridge this time. I'm feeding you something every time we meet. You'll eat something else next time, right?"

"....."

"Have you tried other hyungs' already? Then I will be a little annoyed, but I won't make you puke now."

Yugeon did not understand what Heesu meant by ‘something else’. But somehow he didn't want to know. He didn't think he should know.

"Okay, go ahead."

Heesu served a spoon full of porridge. However, there was no way that Yugeon wanted to eat anything in this situation.

"Ah?"

Yugeon was still unmoved. Heesu's expression while looking at him slowly changed.

"By the way Yugeon hyung. I'll tell you what."

"....."

"I don't know if hyung'll believe it, but I don't really like using my abilities on people. It was really a mistake last time."

"....."

"I can't make the same mistake again. Don't you think so?"

Yugeon gritted his teeth as he looked down at the duvet covering his legs. His breathing unstable and disturbed. The eyelashes that hung over his haggard eyes trembled. Everyone in this room was watching him. Every minute and second passed, it was like being stabbed by hundreds of millions of needles.

After the conflict, he opened his mouth with difficulty and ate the porridge. The edge of his dry lips popped. But before he could swallow, his stomach turned upside down. The body rejecting the taste and smell of the food placed on the tongue.

"Ugh...!"

Yugeon bowed his upper body like a humpback. He quickly covered his mouth so they could not see him puking in front of everyone. Porridge fell on the duvet, which was once clean without dust.

"....."

"....."

"....."

The three men surrounding Yugeon did not say anything for a moment. The high-rank Awakened were fine with skipping meals or sleeping for a few days. If they got stuck in a tricky gate, they starved for weeks. So they forgot. If he didn't take proper nutrition and sleep on time, Yugeon would be in danger.

"Ah, fu... now it's all a mess."

Heesu put down his spoon and murmured irritably.

"This is all because of you hyungs."

"What?"

Chan, who was just staring at them, straightened his body and scowled.

"I looked it up on the Internet, and it said we should leave the new ones left alone for a few days so they could get used to the new environment. Don't touch them however you want, and they might not eat it if you suddenly give them something unfamiliar, so you have to mix it with what they have been eating before. Now this happened because you hyungs couldn't wait and touch him."

"Yah, Kwon Heesu. So now this is my fault?"

"No?"

"If you push something right in front of someone to eat, they can't eat it even if they're starving or not."

"You say it like you have brought hyung something to eat before."

"Damn it. When did I touch that bastard? No, I touched him, but he fell down when I just tapped him! I thought it was a paper doll!"

"Did you forget that time Yugeon hyung threw a bowl and made a mess before he even got to take a bite?"

"If that's the case, Woo Shinje and the deputy chief were the most at fault. Why did you forget they fucked him the first day he arrived?"

Taein, who was only quietly listening until that point, made a thud on the table. He was openly showing his discomfort.

"Are you in a rut? Hunter Yoon Chan. You'd better leave me alone."

"Was I wrong? Didn't you two strip him down and force him to take drugs that day? Ah, did you make him suck on anything other than drugs?"

Chan sarcastically rebutted him with a ferocious face. Taein didn't feel worth responding to him. If you fight back, you'll only be on the same level as your opponent. He sighed and moved his gaze. Yugeon was sitting on the bed, crouching, covering his face with both hands. It was as if he did not hear a single word from the squabble around him. The black hair fluttered through his fingers. On top of that, with the skinny wrists exposed under the baggy T-shirt, he looked a bit pitiful.

Yugeon felt suffocated. Suddenly there was another weight on the edge of the bed. Yugeon looked up in surprise. A large, strong hand grabbed the back of his head and lifted him up.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

"What, What are you doing... Ugh!"

Yugeon was dragged away helplessly. He lost his balance, floundered and fell flat. He was suddenly forced onto Taein's thighs. Laying Yugeon down on his stomach, Taein casually picked up the porridge bowl and a spoon with his gloved hands. Did he want him to eat in this position? When Heesu put the spoon in front of his mouth, the anger flared up, but it was just so ridiculous now that he could no longer be angry.

"Eat."

"I don't want to..."

"....."

"I said I don't want to!"

Yugeon swung his arms writhing. The spoon was flung through the air and dropped to the floor. Taein slowly closed his eyes and then opened again. He seemed to be swallowing a sigh inwardly. Supporting Yugeon with one hand, he raised his other. The next moment. Slap! There was a burning pain in his hips. Yugeon, who did not immediately understand what had happened, turned his head and looked up at him blankly.

"If you don't listen to me..."

Taein pulled the edge of his glove slightly to refine his look and picked up the other items on the tray. It was a large syringe as thick as a small portable water bottle. However, unlike general medical syringes, the tip had a hollow structure like a straw instead of a needle. It was used to feed young animals. Inside was lukewarm milk.

"...I will get mad."

Taein finished his words while holding the syringe upside down and waving it lightly. It was a blunt voice with no disruption. Yugeon reflexively tried to run away. He didn't have enough strength, so he had to put his trembling arm on Taein's thigh and lifted his upper body half up. But there was no way Taein would sit still. He grabbed the back of Yugeon's T-shirt again and lifted him up.

"Cough, keog..."

He felt choked. Yugeon coughed painfully. Either way, Taein sat him in his arms. Hold on to the head and make it easier to feed the milk.

"Open your mouth."

Taein patted his cheek with the back of his hand. It was insulting. Glaring at the opponent with eyes full of murderous intent, Yugeon tried to push him away again. But the counterattack was still unsuccessful. Chan strode up before he knew it, and grabbed Yugeon's wrist hard as if he was about to break it.

"Look at this kid's hands. If you keep up those bad habits they won't last long."

"Ah!"

Yugeon's face contorted in pain. Chan tilted his head and whispered into his ear.

"That's why I told you to run away. You should have listened when I said nicely."

Taein grabbed Yugeon's chin and carefully positioned the syringe. Heesu came up to the bed with a look of excitement and sat down in front of Taein and Yugeon. Yugeon was the only one struggling like crazy in the midst of everyone's grave silence. It was such a bizarre situation. Yugeon's eyes, already scared out of reason, trembled anxiously.

"Don't do it. This, let me go! Crazy bastards...."

If Shinje heard this, he would have said ‘You have to use pretty words’ with a slight frown upon his fine brows. But there was no one here to point out Yugeon's harsh words.

"Oh, I hear that often! Still, it feels a bit different to hear it from Yugeon hyung."

Heesu laughed out loud. When he told Shinje that he was an asshole, he replied ‘don't mention it’, as if he was shy with the answer. These bastards acted as if swear words were compliments or blessings. The other party was far away from common sense. Yugeon felt utterly helpless when he realized he couldn't deal damage in any way.

A syringe filled with milk slowly approached. Sitting in Taein's arms, his chin was grabbed while his arm was held by Chan, Yugeon had no choice but just to watch. His whole body trembling with shame and fear.

"If you knew we were crazy bastards, you shouldn't have set foot in the first place. Didn't you know that?"

Chan suddenly thrust his face into his view. His eyes gleamed, smiling mischievously.

"If you want to survive among crazy people, you have to go crazy too."

"I don't think you are going to last five years, no, a year at this rate."

Taein casually nodded along and shoved the syringe into Yugeon's mouth.

Erewhon Team 1 had not had an exclusive guide for a long time. Other than that, Chan personally didn't meddle with the others business whether it be personally seeking guides or buying rental guides or living off on drugs. They weren't even that interested in each other in the first place. It was a rather unusual case for Chan offering to find a rental guide for Shinje. Shinje had not received guiding for so long that he was already reaching the point of being dangerous for himself and the surroundings, so he had intervened with his last loyalty as a friend.

Whenever someone brought in a personal guide, those who liked shared it, and those who didn't usually turned off their minds altogether. Heesu liked procuring new guides from time to time, and Chan sometimes had them whenever desire arose, while Taein and Shinje were mostly on the sidelines. Taein and Shinje were never really attentive to them. Taein ignored and loathed the guides as if they were bugs on the side of the road. Shinje rarely had physical contact with them, but he silently trampled their minds from afar.

An average person could never survive long in this environment. It became a routine to pull someone in, and let them go when they break. Since they didn't think of guides as equal, there was no such guilt.

But something unexpected happened. Shinje, who had acted as if he had no interest in guiding, brought in a new guide, an exclusive one at that. Guides were frequently changed but the one who usually had no interest in any other person before showed peculiar interest in Yugeon. It was never a good thing. Because it was not known how the presence of Yugeon would affect them.

Yugeon was a spark attached to the fuse. No one knew whether the flame would go out on the way, or if it would spread through the fuse and eventually reach the detonator.

"Then I'll erase Yugeon hyung's memory. If it's broken, I can reset your mind. If it's broken again, I can reset again. Forget everything and always react like the first time."

The blunt tip of the syringe pressed between Yugeon's lips and tried to squeeze in. Yugeon shut his mouth firmly and shook his head desperately. He did not want to eat anything, but he hated even more at them staring at him, forcing feeding him, and being treated like an animal.

"Yugeon hyung, here's the quiz!"

Heesu exclaimed cheerfully. Charmingly curved brown eyes peered persistently at Yugeon.

"How many times do you think this is?"

As he asked, Heesu smiled all over his face. As if all of this was too much fun for him.

"....."

Yugeon was appalled. The tension in the corner of his mouth, which had been so tense, lost strength. Without missing the chance, the syringe pierced between his lips.

"Heuk... Keog, heueu, eub!"

His lips were wide open. There was a forced gap between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The round thick plastic column was shoved into it. His abs contracted, trying to push the foreign object out of his throat. But the large hand clutching his chin did not budge. Taein applied force to his hand holding the syringe with no expression. If Yugeon did not intend to chew and swallow food on his own, he would force feed him with a syringe. If this didn't work, he was thinking of drilling a hole in his neck and putting a hose in it.

"Heueub, eugh...."

Yugeon's eyes reddened and tears welled up. Heesu walked up knee-deep on the bed.

"Really, hyung. Don't cry. It was a joke. I was just kidding. Why are you so sad?"

Already spent all of his energy in the struggle, Yugeon's legs were scattered haphazardly under the crumpled blanket. Heesu quickly removed the blanket and settled down between his weakly spread legs.

"Yugeon hyung, you know. It's hard."

Heesu whispered. His cheeks were flushed with lovely pink shade. But the content of his words was not at all lovely.

"Ah, I didn't want to know that."

Chan let go of Yugeon's wrist that he was holding. He knew that even if he no longer held it, Yugeon wouldn't be able to resist anymore. A red handprint was left on the wrist.

"I want to ask you to suck it, but you already have something in your mouth..."

"Hold it. I can't take it out until I'm done feeding him."

Taein shoved the syringe into Yugeon's mouth deeper and responded. He didn't want him to spit it out easily. It had to be inserted as deep as possible into the throat and poured directly into the esophagus.

"Kwon Heesu, you still want to do this guy? You really got hard from this?"

"Yes, yes. I got horny. What do you want me to do?"

"If you can't wait, go out and beat it out yourself."

"I don't want to."

Heesu answered curtly and lowered his body. And he placed his hand on the inside of Yugeon's thigh. All his nerves were being swept away by the syringe filling his mouth, but when someone suddenly touched him, Yugeon struggled wildly again. A white hand gripped his ankle. Contrary to his soft appearance, his grip strength was unusual. He thought his ankle bone was going to be crushed. Yugeon let out a suppressed groan.

"Euheug..."

Heesu, lying face down between Yugeon's thighs, bit the zipper of his pants. At the same time, Taein gently pressed the syringe piston. A lukewarm liquid flowed into the back of his throat. Tears welling up, Yugeon's bloodshot eyes met Taein's. Taein looked down at Yugeon for a while, and then naturally turned his gaze back to the syringe. His face was cold and businesslike as usual.

"Eub!"

He felt nauseous. Taein supported Yugeon's back and skillfully tilted his head. As the Adam's apple touched the dangling at the tip of the syringe, the throat moved up and down swallowing what had accumulated at the root of the tongue. The soft, savory smell of milk filled his mouth. It was sweeter than normal milk, perhaps mixed with some honey or sugar.

While refusing to eat something like that, Yugeon's body reacted happily when the food entered the system. The sensation of warm milk dripping down in the esophagus was ecstatic.

It was miserable. It felt disgraceful to death. Below, the zipper of his pants opened and the underwear was dragged down.

"Wow."

Heesu briefly admired. He didn't know what he was admiring about. The soft length was enveloped in the moist and warm cavity. As soon as the glans touched the lips, he sucked it deep down to the bottom making an obscene sound.

"Uh... Ugh! Heu! Keueub!"

Yugeon's waist stood out. He tried to push Heesu's head away with his hand. Chan, who had taken a step back, approached again. He was thinking of grabbing his arm again and subdue him. Yugeon's hand, which was stirring wildly in the air, accidentally touched his front. Chan frowned slightly.

"....."

He remembered what happened in front of the gate at Jangheon Station. No matter what he said, Yugeon kept staring blankly at the ground with unfocused eyes, and then suddenly collapsed into Chan's arms like a puppet with broken strings.

He was confused at first. You didn't spill a bucket of blood and have all your arms and legs attached, what were you stressed out about? He was wondering what kind of guy he was. He was even more surprised when Yugeon was lighter than expected.

He felt a little awkward right after that. Come to think of it, Yugeon was a guide. He forgot that no one had ever brought a guide to the gates. He shouldn't have judged him by the same standards as them.

Then he got angry. There was the leader who openly treated Yugeon like someone special, and the deputy chief who bought clothes and took care of them personally, so why did he have to fall on him and not on them? He thought his luck was just terrible. He also wondered if he was doing that on purpose to mess with him.

However, the moment Yugeon’s body came into contact with him, the area around his heart became warm. Even if the owner lost consciousness, the ability worked thoroughly. The effect was minimal because it was only in contact through the clothes. A few drops of overflowing water seeping from the precariously shaking tank soaked in, that was all. However, even after Yugeon was laid in the back seat of the car and brought to the headquarters, the lingering aftertaste of guiding lingered in his body for a long time.

Should he just close his eyes and pretend not to know? He suddenly had that thought. Chan was the only one who openly opposed Yugeon's presence here. Although Taein did not seem happy, he would eventually acquiesce. As always. In other words, if he shut his mouth, everyone could be at peace.

Then again, Chan's conscience was stabbed. No, other than that, that bastard guide was very annoying. He had no claws, only his eyes that looked like they could throw daggers, and stood up straight like he was some shit but fussed around to feed a cat some soup.

He didn't know how to act or look cute. He was a man of few words and hard-headed, and his way of thinking is quite bleak showing what kind of life he had lived. A dog raised at a military base would have been more charming than this guy. How could one fall in love with someone like this? It wasn't even funny to think of.

"Huu....."

Chan grabbed Yugeon's wrist and pressed it directly to his front. It was purely impulsive, with no reason involved. An angry cock fluttered under Yugeon's palm. Soon it swelled up stiffly.

Repeating the beast-like behavior a few times with pure instinct, when the outline of his fully erect dick appeared on the top of his pants, he let go of the hand. Belatedly, he became irritated by the fact that he got excited by that bastard's hand.

"Heuk..... Heub."

Yugeon swallowed the milk coming out of the syringe from above, and down below, Heesu was quickly rubbing his length. His forehead was drenched in sweat, his lower jaw trembled intermittently, and his lower back squirmed back and forth due to stimulation.

Heesu rounded Yugeon's genitals with his mouth full. After sucking it a few times from just above the scrotum to the tip, it became firm enough to hold. Yugeon took a painful breath through his stuffed throat. Heesu swirled and licked off all the sour drops of liquid that had accumulated on the tip of his length. Yugeon’s sobs grew louder. He raised his teeth and gently nibbled the veins on the girth.

"Eugh, uh, ah..."

A sharp moan leaked through the syringe in Yugeon's mouth. Listening to it with one ear, Heesu put one hand under himself. Kneeling down between Yugeon's legs, and with his head in his groin, he took out his own dick and held it.

He masturbated with one hand, spreading Yugeon's thighs back which were consistently trying to shrink back. He synchronized the sensation of the arousal twitching in his mouth and his own erection being rubbed in the palm of his hand. If only Yugeon hyung could suck my dick, if I touch his, if we lie face to face and rub it against each other, no, if hyung's legs are wide open, I could stick mine in the hole…

He stuck out his tongue and licked the tip. Grasped the length with the entire palm of his hand and shook it up and down vigorously. He moved his head back and forth so that the glans was caught on the lips and stuck to the throat. Heesu was just as excited as Yugeon was. The two cocks shuffled wildly in his head. Droplets of body fluid dripped down onto the bed sheets. He couldn't see anything but Yugeon. It was none of his business whether the other hyungs shove a syringe into Yugeon's throat or did whatever with him. It didn't matter as long as he could satisfy his share of pleasure.

Before he knew it, Yugeon's legs were draped over Heesu's shoulders. His toes pitifully in the air, and his heel pressed against his shoulder. The damp, hot flesh was vigorously sucking up his arousal. There was pressing pressure inside of the urethra going all the way to the tip. In line with that, his waist and hips twitched in the air.

"Uh ha...!"

Yugeon broke out a weeping moan. White milk was dripping down his lips and chin. His stiff body shuddered. Flinching, the glans wriggled at will. He sensed that the pleasure had crossed a certain line. The strength in his toes, which had been deeply strained and tensed, loosened. A tickling heat gathered in his lower abdomen. Yugeon tilted his head to reveal the bruised neck. The violent climax came, immediately swallowed by the other person.

Leftover milk spilled into the bottom of the syringe. His throat went up and down nonstop. At the same time, semen flowed out from his dick, completely swallowed up in Heesu's mouth. He was drinking something and spitting out another thing at the same time. It was sweet and fishy. Was the body filling up or emptying? The touch of the hands, holding up his upper and lower body, gradually faded away.

In their hands, Yugeon felt like a lump of meat. He realized it again. Human beings were essentially no different from chunks of meat. Yugeon was the ingredient and they were cooks and gourmets. His head, lips, cheeks, thighs, and hips were all cut into pieces, placed on a plate in the most original and sophisticatedly decorated cuisine, and every piece was being eaten.

The syringe finally slipped out from between Yugeon's lips. The bottom part was wet and shiny.

"Thank you for the meal."

Heesu licked his lower lip with his tongue to refresh his appetite. His hands were also dirty with his own semen.

The empty syringe was thrown randomly onto the tray and rolled over. Yugeon squeezed out his remaining energy and coughed a few times, then closed his eyes weakly. Taein didn't think of wiping off the milk that spilled around his mouth, but he ended up swiping it away. He agonized for a moment, looking at the grayish liquid on his black leather gloves. About how to do this.

"....."

The trouble didn't last long. He parted the defenselessly open wet lips and shoved his fingers in. There was no response from a person who had already passed out from exhaustion. The inside of his mouth was warm and soft. The tongue and the insides of his cheeks were so soft that it could not be thought of as part of Baek Yugeon. It was the same feeling he felt last time when he kissed him unintentionally.

If he put something else in here instead of a syringe or a finger... The moment he thought of it, Taein nervously pulled out his finger. Pulling off the gloves with his fingertips and dropping them on the tray, he opened his mouth with a blunt face. Looks like I will have to buy a new pair of gloves again.

"I will report to the Leader that we took care of it and fed him as instructed."

Two people walked down a dark alley. The word ‘POLICE’ was clearly visible on the fluorescent vest worn over the patrol uniform.

"What's the name of that sect, Officer Heo?"

"Great Words, True Truth." [1]

"That's one long ass name."

"Originally, there was only one, ‘Great Words’ religion, but they split. There was infighting between the religious leader and the second-in command. So now we have ‘Great Words, True Truth’ sect and ‘Great Words, Widespread Love’ sect?" [2]

"These guys are also fiercely fighting over rice bowls."

"It has to be fierce. If you want to eat lazy on your back in this small, cramped land with a big mouth..."

"The world is already a mess so this really is nothing special. By the way, does Officer Heo have a religion?"

The young man made a solemn gesture of a cross.

"Senior, I was born with faith."

"Oh, really? You don't look like one."

"What do you mean I don't look like one? When I was young, I used to go to Bible camp every vacation. What about you, senior?"

"I don't have any religion, but this time, I want to have some faith."

"Yes?"

"I saw a very handsome Hunter on the news the other day. It was an S-class, but hey, that person could easily become an S-class with only his face even if he wasn't an Awakened. I just wanted to become a believer in that person."

"Ye-yes?"

"Wouldn't it be more realistic to believe in Hunters than to believe in great words or small words in terms of saving human lives?"

"No, that's not... that's not wrong, haha."

Officer Heo scratched the back of his head. She said it like a joke, but he couldn't even refute it because it was said by a senior and he was still a newbie. Sergeant Lee, a woman he called senior, smirked and turned the corner one step ahead.

The more they walked into the alley, the more desolate the scenery became. Garbage spread below, wires strewn like spider webs above. Here, it was difficult to see even the cloudy sky all year round due to the fine dust. Busy streets with high-rise buildings were lively and dazzling, but they were only a small fraction of the big city. If you strayed a little bit from the bustling streets, you would find many alleys like this. It had been a long time since the entire city became a slum to the point that it was not impossible to call a specific street a slum.

They arrived at an old commercial building. There was only one poor light bulb at the entrance. In a cramped security room of less than a pyeong, an old man dressed as a security guard was dozing off with a tired face.

"Senior, should I wake him up?"

"It's fine, let him sleep. We are just going to check it out for a second."

The two police officers walked past him and climbed the stairs. Many stores were closed. Even if it was a place where they were still doing business, there was only a key store, a clothing repair store, and a quilt shop. They soon arrived at their destination. There was only one occupied room on this floor, but the only entrance door was tightly closed and no signboard or trade name was seen.

- On the day of the End, the sky will open, the seas will open, and when He comes, He will punish the mankind. The daughters and sons will repent of their sins by burnt offerings pouring out pure blood before Him....

A loud cry was heard from within. It wasn't people talking in real time. It sounded like a recording of a speech or a propaganda comment, playing through a speaker. How loud was the volume if it could be heard through the thick door? You could hear the buzzing and humming not only from the upstairs and downstairs, maybe even from the other nearby buildings. Sergeant Lee blinked at Officer Heo. He nodded, walked over to the door and cleared his throat.

"Sir, are you there? It's the police."

He knocked on the door and shouted. He had to raise his voice to the fullest so that it wasn't covered up by the noise inside.

"We keep getting complaints about noise from the neighborhood. Are you in there? Sir! It's the police!"

He grabbed the door handle and turned it. Clack, Clack. It didn't even budge as it was locked from the inside. Officer Heo took a step back and turned around.

"Senior."

It wasn't strange that the police would not be welcomed with open doors when the police visit the branch of a suspicious new religion. It was actually reasonable. But there was something odd about the place.

"What's this?"

The sergeant came up and saw what he was pointing at. There was something black stuck in the cracks in the door. She tilted her head to take a closer look and frowned.

"Isn't that an insect nest?"

She picked up a bunch of bills and flyers strewn on the floor and poked it through the cracks. A lump of eggs mixed in the black dust fell off. Some of them were already hatched, and the small wriggling figures quickly crawled away.

"Ah!"

Officer Heo shuddered with fright and disgust. Sergeant Lee roughly threw the flyer away, lowered her voice and whispered.

"Let's just say they are here to save themselves, they should have people come and go on a regular basis. Bugs won't hatch in a busy place like this."

"Yes, that's weird..."

As the two of them put their heads together and pondered, the voice beyond the door kept talking about the End. Eventually, they went down to the first floor and woke up the security guard. The old man, who was sleeping soundly with saliva dripping on his cheek, got up and greeted them.

"Ah, that place. It is ridiculous. They only used to turn it on during worship time or whatever, but these days, it's always on all day long, so everyone is complaining about the noise. The door is locked every time I went up, but I can't just open it and go inside. I don’t want to get hurt. So I gave up."

The police exchanged glances. This was because they sensed that this case was not just a simple noise complaint. They borrowed a spare key from the security guard. The old man, who had never thought of opening the door because he was afraid of the church members' retaliation, willingly handed over the key, looking at the police uniform they were wearing with trustful eyes.

They went upstairs again and knocked a few more times out of courtesy. Still no response. With a gulp of dry saliva, Officer Heo opened the door with the key he received from the security guard. Click, Click, Click. It was unlocked with a heavy noise.

"Is anyone here?"

The interior was dark. There was a soggy and damp smell peculiar to a space that had not been ventilated for a long time. In the midst of the darkness, only the loud sound of the speaker was heard over and over again.

- On the day of the End, the sky will open, the seas will open, and when He comes...

Sergeant Lee took out a portable light and found a light switch on the wall. The fluorescent light blinked a few times and then turned on. First, she turned off the loudspeaker and looked around. Footprints appeared on the white, dusty floor as they walked.

The chairs were lined up side by side, as if several people usually gathered and prayed. Burned candles were also seen. It was like a simple chapel. They had imagined the worst to worst, but the inside was surprisingly ordinary. No, it was ordinary in the sense that there was no sign of a crime, but in other senses it was not ordinary at all.

Two large paintings hung on the wall with the pulpit in front. It was a painting of an unrealistically huge monster. It was like all the disgusting creatures of the world were mixed together. In one painting, the whole world was darkened by the huge creature covering the sky, and in the other, it was rising from the sea wrapping around the entire mass of the earth. Looking at the paintings, the two of them frowned involuntarily. It was both repulsive and mysteriously terrifying at the same time.

"Isn't this painting a mutant?"

"Where can you find a mutant this big? If that was the case, this small country would've been ruined already."

"Still, the painting is very realistic..."

"So you are saying Behemoth and Leviathan are real animals, since they are in the Bible."

"That said."

There was nothing else to see other than that. They didn't feel any movement, and the room was so empty that there seemed to be no place to hide. There were traces of dead insects sticking to the fluorescent lights. In some places, insect carcasses and egg shells were seen on the floor. Officer Heo observed, kicking the floor with his toes for no reason.

"I don't think anyone came in recently. Did they just bounce away like this?"

"It seems very likely. Well, that's good. I'm sure there won't be any more complaints since we got the speaker."

"Let's get out of here quickly. I feel uncomfortable here."

They turned off the lights and got ready to leave the place. When he was about to close the door one last time... Officer Heo tilted his head as if it were strange.

"Huh?"

His gaze was fixed in the darkness inside.

"What?"

Sergeant Lee also pushed her head in. A faint light could be seen in the darkness. It seemed to be leaking through a narrow gap. They didn't notice it when the lights were on.

Officer Heo quickly turned on the lights. The place where the light leaked out was a wall. The wall with the paintings of a giant monster. Since the whole room was covered with dirt and dust, they didn't notice it at a glance, but when they looked closely, only the wall over there was made of plywood. As if it was hiding another space behind it. The light flickered faintly as they stared at it.

"....."

The eyes of the two police officers met. Even without saying anything, they understood each other.

"I hope you didn't wait for a long time."

Heesu opened the door with a sweet comment and came in. A staff member followed after him, carefully pushing the trolley for room service. Heesu ordered him to serve with a flick, as if it were natural. Soon, food was spread across the table. It was a luxurious Korean table d'hote. Bite-sized pancakes beautifully fried, sliced raw beef rolled in a rose shape and placed on leaves, soft ribs steamed tenderly with plenty of seasoning, and colorful herbs drenched in sesame oil. All the dishes smelled delicious.

Yugeon sat at the table and looked at the scene. He had never been served a luxurious meal like this. Wouldn't the price of a single plate of that food be about the one-day wage Heeseong and Yugeon used to earn in the past? Still, it was better than the western dish decorated with gold powder last time. Not only that he didn't know the name of the dish, but also he didn't know how to eat it. He even doubted if it was edible. But there was a more fundamental problem. Why was he sitting here?

After dozens of large and small bowls carried in the trolley were neatly arranged on the table, the staff bowed their head politely and left the room. Soon the door was gently closed.

"Kwon Heesu. What's this? Did you use all the ingredients in the kitchen?"

With an endless feast of food in front of him, Chan asked after a long silence.

"It's been a while since I've worked on it. I think Yugeon hyung doesn't like Western food."

"You made all this?"

This time, Taein asked.

"Except for a few side dishes like greens. Oh, I also bought some soy sauce. I didn't have the time."

Heesu took his seat, calmly answering the questions. Then began to change the table setting, which had been carefully prepared before. Meat dishes such as galbi-jjim, bulgogi, and samgyetang were all placed in front of Yugeon. The rainbow-colored pancakes also went to Yugeon.

"Yugeon hyung, eat a lot. Tell me if you want more."

Heesu smiled brightly as he pushed the bowl of rice pressed tightly. Yugeon looked down at the mountain of food piled up in front of him. He thought he wouldn't be able to eat it all even if he ate this for a week.

"Hyung needs to gain some weight. There are only bones in your ankles. It's not that I don't like you right now, but it just didn't feel good gripping. I thought you were going to break if I just put in a little more strength."

"......."

He decided to pretend he didn't hear the back story.

"Hey, what about the deputy chief and me? Is that bastard the only one with a mouth?"

Chan grumbled. Because Heesu rearranged the side dishes with a lot of self-interest, there were only vegetables in front of Chan and Taein, which would disappear if they picked up with one or two chopsticks.

"Other hyungs, well..."

Heesu turned his gaze away indifferently.

"Just die."

There was a blood clot in Chan's fist.

"If that's the case, then why did you bother calling us? Why didn't you just call the guide privately and make his stomach explode?"

On the other hand, Taein did not complain and began to eat only with the side dishes. He was also refined in his table manners. Chan, who had been grumbling, eventually picked up the spoon. They weren't the kind of people who looked at each other's faces at mealtime and chatted in a friendly way, so it was quiet except for the sound of tableware.

Everyone was natural except for Yugeon, who was just sitting there quietly. Like they were used to eating like this everyday. However, there was one person missing from the seats.

"...the Leader."

Yugeon opened his mouth for the very first time, breaking the silence. The three people, who were absorbed in their meal, stopped and stared at him. Just that alone sent shivers down his spine.

"Where is the Leader?"

He hadn't seen Shinje since they came back from attacking the Jangheon Station Gate. No one told Yugeon about Shinje's condition. For them, Yugeon was strictly a pet, or an inanimate object. There was no one who would hold animals or objects and explain the situation.

He didn't ask because he was worried about Shinje's health. However, he hated that he was left alone in the dark not knowing anything even as an exclusive guide. Then, Yugeon would really become a being of no use except for his body.

In addition, if there was something wrong with Shinje's condition, then it would be that the guide was incompetent, and what the guide did or did not do to get to this point would inevitably come up behind the scenes. He didn't like that either. Even though it was a contract that he was forced to be sign like a slave, he wanted to at least do his part.

"He's resting."

Taein replied, pouring water into a ceramic cup. That was the end of the answer. Yugeon stubbornly looked ahead. He looked like he wouldn't budge until he heard the answer he wanted. Heesu, who was obsessively observing the changes in his expression, chimed in.

"I guess the side effects were pretty bad. Not anyone can easily subdue an A-class boss without touching any of its body parts, even if they are S-classes. He must have overdid it."

"Why..."

Chan put down his spoon, exasperated.

"You really have no clue. Or is it just that you are dumb?"

"....."

"He had to get it done from afar as much as possible. Because the closer the boss gets, the more likely you are to get hurt."

"....."

"There are limits to what you can do, so just don't cause any trouble at all. Please know that you are a nuisance. Don't make people explode just by asking stupid questions, will you?"

The expression on Yugeon's face, which was filled with light doubts, gradually disappeared. Heesu picked up the tteok-galbi and put it on Yugeon's rice bowl, speaking in his usual innocent tone.

"Also, Chan hyung, don't say shit during meal time. It will make the food taste bad."

"You've grown up, Kwon Heesu. This little prick finally knows some table manners."

"There's no need to bring up gloomy things over a good meal, I mean."

"Ha."

Chan chuckled in vain. It was not enough with tteok-galbi, so Heesu even added the deliciously baked egg rolls.

"Yugeon hyung, everything's fine with the Leader. When the side effects are severe, it's just that eating is a hindrance to recovery."

"Is it that bad?"

"Blood keeps coming up from the stomach, and no matter what we eat, it mixes with blood and flows back up. Have you heard of it, grains of rice soaked in blood..."

"Ah, fuck it. I'm eating!"

Chan slammed the table. The impact caused the salt bottle to collapse and roll over. Taein grabbed it and put it back in place. Heesu threw his head back and laughed out loud.

"Euhahahaha!"

"Hey, guide. Didn't you hear me? Everything's fine. So don't ask anything more useless."

Chan didn't even look at Yugeon as if he was bothering him and waved his hand.

"That bastard, he's fine since he's not dead yet. If he's not, well, he will croak I guess."

Heesu laughed even louder. They casually talked about someone dying in front of him. They even seemed a little bit disappointed that Shinje did not die.

Yugeon suddenly looked up. His eyes met with Taein across the table. As always, his eyes were hard to read. After staring across the air for a few long seconds, Taein blinked dryly. Down, to be exact, towards the rice bowl in front of Yugeon. He did not say a word, but the message was clear.

If he didn't eat properly, he would put Yugeon on his stomach again and slap him in his ass. Like dealing with disobedient wild animal cubs. And he'd be forced to sit in his arms, grab his chin and shove the syringe in.

"....."

Yugeon silently picked up the spoon. No matter how much Yugeon was reluctant with and hated them, he didn't want to resist in a childish way like refusing to eat together with them. Nothing had so far gone with his will.

At first glance, they seemed to have a strong bond, but something was off. He could sense the incompatibility among them. Taein, Chan, and Heesu followed Shinje not because Shinje was worthy of personal admiration or humanly favorable. The same was true of Shinje, of course. He didn't seem to have special wishes or expectations from them.

Rather, they seemed indifferent to each other. It would be more accurate to say that they were already sick and tired of their fellows because they had seen all the hideous parts of each other. If any of them died, the rest of them would not be sad but rather laughed with their mouths ripped apart, let alone grieve.

Hunters from Erewhon Team 1. They were rivals in a sense. They were like wild beasts pushed into a narrow space together with blades surrounding them. Right now, they were just giving in and obeying the overwhelming power of their common enemy, seeking an opportunity to turn the tables. Then what was he in the middle of this? A toy for the beasts trapped in a cage? Or a piece of meat that you hang on a hook for them to take a bite?

Self doubts arose one after another. Yugeon fiddled his fingers mechanically, deep in thought. Chan and Heesu's bickering became a meaningless noise and shattered above him.

They stepped back inside the room. Unlike before, when they walked around chatting thinking that there was no one inside, this time they walked with as little footsteps as possible. They thought it was an empty house, so they borrowed the key, opened the door and came in. They even turned off the speakers that someone had left on.

But if there were people, the story was different. Even if the speaker was turned to a loud volume, the police had trespassed, and conversely, there was a possibility of them filing a complaint. They thought they had to meet the person inside, explain the situation, and give them a warning.

"Excuse me! It's the police. I'm Officer Heo Dongho from Geomnae District Police Station. I apologize, but I thought you were not home, so I opened the door. Complaints about the noise keep coming in these days."

Officer Heo exclaimed loudly. Beyond the plywood wall, there was still no sign of presence.

"Sir? Excuse me, are you there?"

"Wait a minute."

The sergeant walked past him. The lights flickered, so it must be a candle or a lamp light. That meant it hadn't been long since someone turned it on. But the outside wall was covered in dust?

No clear evidence was found, but the police's intuition sent a warning. There was something here. What the hell was going on here? Illegal trade? Ledger manipulation? Drugs? Violence between church members? In the worst case... murder? Ominous hypotheses ran through their mind.

The gap between plywood was at least as wide as a finger could fit in. No matter how sloppily erected the wall was, it could not be torn down with bare hands.

"Officer Heo. Bring me some tools."

"Yes?"

"Let's tear down the wall."

"Huh, do you want to rip it off?"

"Yes, I have a feeling that this is no ordinary matter. Get ready to hit the radio."

Officer Heo quickly searched the inside of the chapel. He soon found a long dagger covered in dust in a corner. The sharp side of the dagger was jabbed into the small gap. She used it as a lever and pressed it hard. It felt like the nail stuck in the plywood was being pulled out. After repeating that a few times, a larger gap opened up. Sergeant Lee lowered her head and looked inside. Officer Heo stuck behind her and snooped around with anxiety.

"What do you see?"

"There's nothing."

"Uh-huh."

Officer Heo, who was on high alert and nervous for a while, made an exhausted noise.

"This is only a hallway. There's another door inside. I think the light is coming from there."

The original floor was divided into several rooms and used as one big shopping area, so there was an empty space between the rooms. It was a narrow hallway that one or two adults could barely pass through. At the end of it, they saw the door to the next room. A bright light leaked through the crack in the door.

"Excuse me..."

Sergeant Lee, who arrived first, knocked on the door and shouted. No, she was going to shout. The door slid open as soon as she slammed it with her fist. It wasn't closed in the first place. A thin light burst through the crack in the open door. A few flying bugs flew away, some flitted across the sergeant's cheek. And they finally saw the scene in the room.

It was an insect large enough to fill a space in the shopping mall. In fact, it was a bit unreasonable to call it an insect. First of all, insects were not this big, and they did not have wriggling tentacles instead of stiff, tight legs with joints. Its tail shone brightly, nearly piercing her eyes, and even though the fluorescent lamp was not turned on, the whole view was clear. The black bodies of insects stuck to the walls, ceilings, and floors were reflected in the unnatural bright light at first glance.

It was flapping its wet wings, as if it had just finished molting. Whenever numerous tissues were tangled and covered by bumpy wings, the light on the tail dimmed a little and came back again and again. The blemish skin it took off filled the entire space. In it, there were human corpses drenched in blood. Half-melted and half-eaten, making it difficult to recognize their shape, but there were at least 10 people. It was when she could tell where the nutrients used for molting came from. It was so big that one or two of them wouldn't have been enough.

"Eurgh... heuk..."

Sergeant Lee took a step backwards. Officer Heo could not even groan. Flap. It shook its wings and turned around. Huge compound eyes made up of tens of thousands of individual eyes stared at the two police officers.

At that moment, the two of them quickly turned around and ran out as if they had made a promise beforehand. Toward the exit.

Officer Heo rushed through the narrow hallway. Regardless of whether his palms were cut or not, he pried open the plywood wall and pulled himself out. Then he felt strange. His back was too quiet. He looked back, trembling like an acorn. Sergeant Lee, his senior, who was by his side just a moment ago, was bitten in the giant insect’s mouth. Her lower body was already half-chewed up that her legs couldn't even be seen any longer.

"Se-senior!"

His brain went blank. It would be right to run away alone, but his feet didn't move.

"Awakening, Headquarters, quick... ly...!"

Kwadeug. She couldn't finish her words, and red blood spurted from her mouth. A sentence they had heard from the speaker earlier suddenly came into the ears of Officer Heo, who had fallen into panic and was frozen.

The daughters and sons will repent of their sins by burnt offerings pouring out pure blood before Him....

Knock Knock. A knock was heard outside the door. He was in the middle of resting in his room after a company dinner that did not feel like a company dinner. Yugeon, who had been sitting blankly leaning on the bed, got up. Somehow, the room he was given was much larger than the entire house where they had lived before. He had to walk for a long time just to open the door.

As soon as he opened the door, he made eye contact with an unfamiliar Hunter. It was a young woman who looked a few years older than Yugeon.

"Hello, Baek Yugeon Guide-nim. I'm Kang Hyeonji, from Team 8."

She looked a bit reluctant to be here. I want to leave right away after finishing my job. It was clearly written on her face.

Team 1's new exclusive guide was the talk of the town within Erewhon. Of course, in a bad way. There were all kinds of rumors about him because there was no information at all. Among them, the most popular one currently was that Yugeon was originally selling his body to the Awakened, and was actually a prostitute with only his name being a guide. He probably seduced the Leader, luckily caught his eyes, and managed to turn his life around. She couldn't believe she had to go directly to such a person and deliver the business. As the youngest member of the team, she was given the job that no one wanted to do. She was bitter until the end.

"....."

Yugeon stared down at the other person. He just looked at her to see what was going on, but the Hunter's expression became even more grim. Yugeon nodded his head a beat late.

"I'm here to deliver guide-nim's personal terminal set-up."

The Hunter spoke in a businesslike tone and held out what she was holding. It was a black box about the size of a span of his hand. Then she opened the lid and showed him what was inside. The content was a flat, angular electronic device. It was black with a refined luster overall, and the logo of Erewhon was engraved in matte only on the back. So that it could reveal itself when exposed to light or touched by hand.

"It works almost the same as a regular smartphone except for the internal network app. Oh, there are some features that are blocked for security reasons, so please refer to them. If you give us the phone you are using currently, we'll move the data......"

"......"

Yugeon shook his head quietly.

"Are you saying you left it in your room?"

"No."

"Then is it broken or lost?"

"It's not that."

"Yes?"

"I don't have a phone."

The Hunter was silently flabbergasted. No, why don't you have a phone? In this country where you can't do anything without your own cell phone? How the hell have you been living?

Yugeon only had an old, worn-out laptop that a certain Hunter gave him when they were about to throw it away. He used it mainly to search for job postings on the Internet. Heeseong, his only family member, was always by his side, and there was no reason to use a cell phone during the operations, as instructions were transmitted through the radio or ear mic anyway.

The Hunter, who had a puzzled face for a few seconds, came to her senses. She had to finish the given task quickly.

"Then I'll show you how to turn on the home screen first."

She was about to explain the basics, but suddenly a vibration went off. The Hunter's face hardened when she saw the phone number on the screen. She pressed the call button with a nervous and courteous touch and put the phone to Yugeon's ear. Yugeon was puzzled, but accepted it obediently.

"Hello."

A man's low laughter was heard over the speaker.

- Yes, sweetheart.

"......"

- Our guide is not just cute, so he's also overflowing with energy. Are you making moves behind my back?

After being silent for a few seconds, Yugeon took the phone off his ear. And without hesitation, he pressed the call end button. Ttug. The call was disconnected in less than 10 seconds.

"Huh."

Yugeon was calm, but the Hunter who was standing next to him had turned pale. Are you out of your mind? If it was her, she'd probably have answered the phone call with both hands popped up, kneeling down, with her forehead pressed to the floor.

Soon the vibration rang again. It was the same number as before. Yugeon stared silently at the cell phone with a frown. The Hunter was giving him a desperate look. Why aren't you picking up? What are you doing not picking up quickly? Pick up your work calls, especially your bosses' calls from high up, before it rings twice! Don't you know?

"...yes."

He reluctantly answered the call. The sentence was noticeably shorter than before.

- My honey doesn't even want to talk to me anymore?

"I'm hanging up."

- Don't hang up, Guide Baek Yugeon.

"....."

- If you keep being so harsh like this, I'll get really hurt.

His voice over the speaker sounded a little lower than it usually was. Was it because of the phone call, or was his voice hoarse because he was not feeling well? When the side effects were severe, the blood kept flowing back up from within and you couldn't put anything in your mouth. What Heesu told him before rang in his ears.

"Are you feeling well?"

- Why are you asking that? Oh... Right, I vomited blood.

Shinje spoke carelessly as if he had forgotten about it until now. He even forgot that he vomited blood. As he always felt, the mindset of senior Hunters was far beyond the realm of ordinary people.

- Would you like to come and see for yourself? I have something to tell you.

"Is that an order?"

- What if it's recommended?

"I will decline."

- You're so mean...

Despite the sharp refusal, Shinje laughed quietly as if he heard something funny. Hearing it through the speaker, it felt like he was really whispering into his ear. The feeling prickled down from his nape to the back of his spine.

- So let's ask in a different way.

"....."

- It's about the neighborhood where Guide Baek Yugeon used to live, aren't you curious?

"What do you mean? The neighborhood I lived in."

After accepting the proposal from Shinje, he hurriedly packed his bags and left as if being chased. He left the house with the traces of life intact, and that house would often trample on his heart as much as his brother, who would be lying in the hospital unconscious. But what could have happened there? It wouldn't be a small thing if he intentionally brought it up.

- Well, it's...

Shinje drawled out the end of his sentence. Without realizing it, Yugeon clasped the hand that was not holding the cell phone.

- It's a secret.

"....."

He knew he shouldn't do this, but he almost cursed for a moment.

"If you don't want to tell me then why are you calling?"

- Well, because I want to hear your voice? I also wanted to know if you received the device well, and since your voice is quite lively, you must have eaten on time today.

"I think you're done with your business."

- Are you going to hang up again?

"Can I block this number after hanging up?"

- What are you going to do after you block it, Guide Baek Yugeon, when there's nothing you can do here other than flirting with me?

"....."

Yugeon gritted his teeth slightly. It was not wrong, but he couldn't argue with it. He was not allowed to step out of this building without permission. The other people working here never spoke to him unless it was absolutely necessary, and even if they happened to talk to him, they seemed very uncomfortable as if worried that they would accidentally mess up. He was often treated as an invisible person in corridors and lobbies.

It was not simply because they admired Shinje so much and were jealous of Yugeon. They looked down at Yugeon, but at the same time, they were also relieved that he was there. Like humans who toss little mice or birds into cages infested with hungry beasts, lock the door from the outside, and finally take a breather. Most of the time, it was only Team 1 who usually summoned Yugeon to either feed him or talk to him. The problem was that it was never with pure and normal intentions.

Meanwhile, the Hunter watched him with half-devastated eyes. She no longer even had the energy to be shocked anymore. He didn't just hang up the Leader's phone at will, but also made a grim face while talking to the Leader on the phone, and now he was saying he was going to block his number. Just looking from the side, her life span seemed to have decreased by 10 years. How did this person seduce the Leader? In many ways, he did not fit in with the picture of how the rumors painted him at all.

- Come up. I'll tell you in person.

"I understand. I'll be right up."

- Yes, please do so.

The answer came back as if he had been waiting for it. He felt like he was dragged into his play, but there was nothing he could do.

- By the way, Guide Baek Yugeon. You didn't forget, did you?

"What..."

- That we will go back and have sex.

He casually put obscene words in his mouth as if giving work instructions. He did remember that. In a dark subway station where monsters were running rampant. At that time, the situation was so tense, and he even collapsed as soon as they came up to the ground, so he had no time to think about it. The memory that he had been pushing back into a corner came back to life with a single word from him. His heart trembled uneasily. Yugeon did not answer for a long time.

- Don't be afraid already, and I won't eat you.

A laughing voice was heard. It was as if he saw his expression with his own eyes.

- See you later.

The line was cut off. Yugeon looked down at the cell phone screen that displayed the call end sign. His mind was all messed up.

It was something that would happen someday. Whether Shinje had sex with him, tortured him, or did more... Yugeon had to obey. Because that was the terms of the contract. He knew it all too well in his head. But he was still scared even though he knew. It was a more complicated emotion to define just as scary. With Yugeon's poor vocabulary, he couldn't find a better word for it. He thought it might be better to be caught off guard and suffer without warning. At the very least he wouldn't have been swept away by a single word from Shinje.

"Excuse me, Hunter-nim. This."

Yugeon, who had been immersed in his thoughts, suddenly held out the cell phone. It was because he didn't know how to turn off the screen. The Hunter took the phone with both hands, turned off the screen and returned it. Unlike before, when she was openly showing signs of discomfort, her attitude became a little more polite.

"Call me comfortably. You can drop honorifics. Since you're in Team 1, you're like a boss to me. Ah no, not like that. Not like a boss, but a boss. If all the seniors in my team say I'm Hyeonji, I have to be Hyeonji. So, I mean......"

"....."

"Ahaha, ha, haha."

Trying to patch up the awkward atmosphere, she talked about things that he didn't even ask. Later, deep regrets flooded in. This guy's mouth is a square. Why did she do that? To the parachute guide who was a lot younger than her, and to the main character of all kinds of rumors. If she went back and told the team members about this, she was sure to be made fun of and teased for some time.

Yugeon was on the shorter side among the Erewhon Team 1 Hunters, but of course he was still much taller than most women. He had to look down at the other person to make eye contact. Her shame was amplified even further. What was the guide thinking under that expressionless face? Would he laugh at her for buttering him up, or would he be pleased with the taste of power.

After a few seconds of silence, Yugeon lowered his gaze and answered gently.

"Yes, nuna."

His eyes, which had looked ferocious when he was talking to the Leader on the phone earlier, quickly became milder. He was blunt but had the impression of an obedient younger sibling.

"Thank you."

He bowed his head and made his way across the hallway to the elevator. It was to go to Shinje's room. The Hunter was still standing there even after his figure had disappeared from view. With her mouth wide open.

Eh? That parachute guide might be a better person than she thought...

In the middle, he transferred to the high-rise elevator and went up to the top floor. He knocked on the door and opened it a few seconds later. There was no one in the living room in the middle of the spacious Presidential Suite. The sofa where Shinje was mostly seen sitting and drinking coffee or working was surprisingly empty.

He looked around. He didn't know for sure, but the floor pattern seemed a little different compared to the last time he came here. Was the marble floor here originally this color? Then he soon stopped thinking about it. There was no way he could get the answer with his poor aesthetic sense and dry eyes. He must be mistaken. Marble wasn't some cheap floorboard that one can replace so easily in such a short period of time. Unless the whole thing was smashed in an accident.

He looked all over the place, but there was no sign of movement. There were so many doors that he couldn't figure out where to go. He sneaked open the nearest door gently and closed it again when he saw that it was a study comparable to the size of an apartment. There was even a fireplace and a grand piano on the other side of the living room. Was Shinje not here? It hadn't even been 10 minutes since he called him up on the phone.

After thinking hard for a second, he opened another door. It was a bedroom. There was Shinje on a bed, wide enough to run and roll around. Sitting with his back against the headboard with one hand on his forehead. Perhaps Taein's words that he was resting were not false, and he was wearing a thin knitwear instead of a shirt.

"...Who is it?"

Shinje looked up as soon as the door opened. It wasn't his usual appearance, where he was always smiling and giggling cheekily. There was not even a trace of smile on his nervous face. Thin blood vessels looked like they had burst open, and the gray eyes gleamed amidst the reddish whites. It reminded him of the first time they met.

His wide eyes rolled gently toward the door. After confirming that the person who had visited was Yugeon, Shinje bent his eyes and smiled.

"You're here, honey."

"....."

Yugeon was about to step into the bedroom when he came to a standstill. He then briskly turned around. Hearing those words, the thoughts of worrying about him went up into smoke.

"Are you really going back?"

Shinje gently blinked his eyelashes that fell on his eyes. This man used to stare at him with eerie eyes, but he now had a pathetic expression like a daffodil drenched in the rain. Yugeon sighed and turned back again.

"I'm overworked. At that time, I even dealt with the boss alone…"

Shinje put his head on one knee and leaned his head at an angle. Unsettled light hair flowed down. He chuckled.

"I want you to know that I am working so hard to feed my honey. Even the older brother that came with him."

"Why am I your honey?"

"I proposed to you giving flowers, I gave you all my soul, and I put you in my house. What more do I need to do? Should I call them all out and at least have a ceremony?"

He thoughtlessly pictured Shinje's words in his mind. Both of them standing side by side, in front of a large number of people gathered at the wedding hall.The weddings that Yugeon knew was all he saw in books and TV when he was young. His imagination was also limited to a fairytale level. Flowers everywhere, colorful and loud decorations, and a grand wedding march.

He desperately erased what popped into his head. Just imagining it was terrifying to death. It was better to be cursed and slapped around on the face in front of everyone in a back alley.

"About what you said earlier. The neighborhood I lived in."

Shinje pointed to the seat next to him.

"Let's sit down for now. Don't stand like that."

He didn't want to sit comfortably in the same bed with him leaving a decent chair. However, Shinje did not seem to have any intention of giving him the answer he wanted if he did not follow his instructions. After a moment of hesitation, Yugeon started walking towards him. When he reached right in front of the bed, his arms suddenly wrapped around his waist. He felt like his body was floating in the air, and the next moment, Yugeon was sitting on top of him.

Whether it was Taein or Shinje, the people here seemed to have a hobby of holding people as they pleased. Were they showing off that they were strong because they were Awakened? He was also a tall adult male in his own way, so he felt bad. He endured it, however, insisting that this was also part of the guiding act specified in the terms of the contract.

"Can you bring me what's over there?"

"The tablet?"

"I thought it'd be better to show it to you than explain it with words. And the one next to it."

There were several items on the bedside table besides a water bottle. The thin tablet regularly used by Shinje when he worked, and a luxuriously packaged box. He was hugged by the waist so he just stretched out his arms. Shinje was handed a tablet with one arm, and the box was given back to Yugeon.

"That's for Guide Baek Yugeon."

"Yes?"

"Open it."

The golden ribbon wrapped around the box was as smooth as a butterfly's wings. He thought it would break off at once if he applied the wrong strength. Having never dealt with such a delicate thing, Yugeon frowned and carefully untangled the ribbon like a technician dismantling a bomb. It looked like a precious item at first glance, so if it broke, Yugeon might be held responsible.

Inside the box were unfamiliar objects individually wrapped. They were small, white and round, he didn't know if they were jewels or flowers. Snowflakes? They seemed to have been delicately carved out of pebbles. Even after checking the contents of the box, Yugeon remained frozen for a while. Shinje asked, without noticing his expression.

"You don't like it?"

"....."

"I heard that they bought it from a famous place months in advance. It can't be helped if it doesn't suit your taste."

"I don't know what it is."

"....."

"What is this? It's my first time seeing it, so if it's something like an ornament, I don't need it..."

While casually looking at the tablet with one hand, Shinje suddenly lowered his head and burst into a low laugh. Yugeon looked back at him. A look of bewilderment on his neat face.

"Oh dear, what should I do about this?"

"Yes?"

"You can eat it. A kind of dessert called meringue cookies."

"....."

"I received it as a gift, but now I'm a little... unwilling. So I thought I'd feed Guide Baek Yugeon."

Shinje picked up a meringue cookie. Even the act of tearing the transparent packaging was elegant. Yugeon silently watched his fingertips. Soon something soft touched his lips.

"Now, ah."

Yugeon thought that he really had become Shinje's dog. He was being tamed with violence and insults. To respond thoroughly to every single instruction given, even insignificant. After a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth. Since he said it was a cookie, he bit it down not so lightly thinking it would be quite hard. But the meringue cookie was crushed ridiculously easily and melted on his tongue.

"....."

He was a little flustered, but decided to think of it as something similar to cotton candy he ate as a child. It would have tasted like this if cotton candy was lumped together and hardened. He melted the remaining meringue on the tip of his tongue and swallowed it.

Meanwhile, Shinje, who was watching all his expressions while holding Yugeon's waist, was about to die holding back his laughter. He could only see Yugeon's side profile as he was holding him at an angle. The sleek nose bridge, the cheeks and round earlobe which still have some boyishness left, came into view.

At first, Yugeon chewed a meringue cookie and stayed still for a while with his mouth closed. It was like a small animal that broke down from the shock of tasting new food. Then he began to chew his cheek slowly again. The black eyelashes gently flickered.

Shinje picked up another meringue cookie, unwrapped it and put it to his lips. Yugeon accepted it without a single complaint. The milk Taein fed with a syringe, the tteok-galbi that Heesu put on the rice bowl, and the meringue cookies that Shinje fed were no different to him. It was just a command from those at the top of the food chain. One wouldn't refuse in the face of severe retribution that awaits.

Shinje seemed to be having fun, so every time Yugeon swallowed a meringue cookie, he gave him a new one. Then he picked up the tablet that had been put down on the duvet.

"Would you like to see this?"

"....."

Yugeon swallowed what was in his mouth in haste. Shinje chuckled and played the video. A familiar alley filled the screen. It was where Yugeon and Heeseong lived. The video quality, which looked like it was taken with a cell phone, was poor. The sound was also full of noise. Not only that, the screen was shaking a lot as if it was filmed in a hurry.

- Heuaaag!

A scream was heard. An old man in a security guard uniform ran out of a commercial building and collapsed on the side of the road. The light from the street lamp dimly illuminated his figure. His heart sank. Yugeon forgot he was eating meringue cookies and focused on the screen.

The camera zoomed in to fill the screen with the old man. His eyelids and mouth were moist. Fortunately, he was still conscious. Puck! Black figures burst out of the old man's eyes, nose, mouth and flew away. They were flying insects covered in red blood. They were so numerous that the swarm looked like a black fog.

All the windows on the upper floor of the building where the old man had run out were smashed. Even the window frames and parts of the walls fell off. A ridiculously huge insect appeared through the gap. With a swarm of flying insects around it like a cloud.

- What, what's that? Something like this.......

Someone mumbled from behind the camera. It seemed to be the person filming this video. He hastily zoomed out the screen and backed away. After shaking its body to shake off the dust and cement powder on its wings, the monster looked this way. It was so large that even though it was taken from a distance with poor image quality, the shape was clearly visible.

- Uh.

Sensing the danger, the owner of the video swallowed his breath. Without saying a word, he turned around and started running. The scene of the dimly lit alley caught on the screen shook up and down, and the speaker was filled with only the sound of gasping breaths. A few seconds later, suddenly, an ear-splitting scream was heard.

- Euag! Go away... Ah! Argh!

The screen was badly crushed and then turned black. The video ended there. Judging by the lack of subtitles or narration, he didn't think it was a news report video. How did they get it?

Even after the video ended, Yugeon remained silent. His mind was complicated. Just one more block from there, you would reach the apartment where Yugeon and Heeseong lived. If he hadn't been here, and Heeseong not at the hospital, or if they kept living in that neighborhood... they would have been the ones screaming over there.

"Ah."

A meringue cookie touched his lips. Yugeon opened his mouth reflexively, his gaze fixed on the finished video. It was only when he felt the sweetness that melted from the tip of his tongue that he came to his senses.

"What do you think?"

Shinje asked, turning off the tablet screen and randomly throwing it on a pillow.

"It appears to be an insect-type mutant. Did a gate open in that building?"

He shook his head gently and went to unwrap a new meringue cookie.

"Have you heard of ‘Great Words’ church? To put it in a good way, it's an emerging religion. Frankly, that's a cult. But they say that the cult recently split into two because of the ideological differences in the leadership."

Other than Protestantism and Buddhism, Yugeon was not aware of such religions. Shinje held out a meringue cookie again. Shaking the cookie as if urging him. He took it without thinking.

"The one that worships the religious leader as a living god is the existing ‘Great Words, Widespread Love’ sect, and the one that newly came up with the Apocalypse is the ‘Great Words, True Truth’ Church. On the day of the End, they said, ‘the real God’ will appear and punish mankind. The problem was that they got a mutant egg and enshrined it as a god."

"....."

"Isn't it funny? It was not enough to deify humans, so now they believe in some bugs. They were right, in a sense, because that god came out of the egg and ate all the believers."

Shinje made a sarcastic remark without batting an eyelid. He must have dealt with more powerful and terrifying mutants than the mutant featured in the video, so it was reasonable to see that the people who worship them were beneath him.

"How did they even get the egg? Mutant eggs cannot be traded by the general public."

"They must have a connection with the black market."

The skin, flesh, teeth, and body fluids of mutant species were sold at an unparalleled price compared to those of common plants and animals. In addition to the information about the Gates, it was the main source of income for Hunters. However, access to the non-Awakened general population was restricted by law. They could not buy or sell them arbitrarily. Depending on the type, possession of certain items alone was a felony. Other than companies that specialized in processing by-products with government permission, there were no exceptions.

"Do you know when the thoughts of Apocalypse began in earnest within that religion and the cult split in half? Guide Baek Yugeon was also involved in that case."

The ridiculous story, the End of mankind and everything that seemed like another world, suddenly turned to Yugeon. What did he know? Did he have anything to do with that religion? Yugeon shut his mouth, lost in thought.

"The industrial complex, after Almuten appeared?"

"Correct. To be precise, after the press conference broadcast."

The news about Gate abnormalities was already slowly spreading among the general public even before the accident. A handful of Hunters and a very small number of ordinary people sometimes caught up in a few unexpected accidents. But so far, it was just about believing it or not. Then out of nowhere, Shinje's sudden remarks at the press conference caused a big stir. The stories that were floating around like urban legends suddenly became a reality. Through the mouth of an S-class Hunter and the Leader of Erewhon.

Controversies snowballed in no time. Society was thrown into chaos. The voices of pessimism increased, saying all the data and hypotheses that were accumulated by the blood and sweat of mankind during the long war with the mutants since the Outbreak became utter garbage. That the only one thing left was to die. It was no wonder that pseudo-religions became rampant.

He was prepared to declare war on the damned Almuten, and on the Awakening Management Headquarters, who kept hushing up the issue and cowering. To heal a wound that had been left unattended for a long time to rot, you must first remove the bandage and squeeze out pus.

"Since you got the answer right, here's the ‘good job’ stamp."

Shinje tugged Yugeon's waist with light strength and pulled him close. He gently brushed his black bangs away and kissed his forehead. His lips were slightly chapped as usual.

"You got one before, so now this is the second one. If you collect five......."

"....."

"I'll let you go see your brother."

It was something he didn't even expect. Yugeon, who was only looking down, suddenly lifted his head. Two pairs of eyes of different colors met in the air.

"I... What should I do?"

Shinje swallowed a smile inside. What an easy-to-understand character.

"Well, whatever it may be, Guide Baek Yugeon must do something worthy of praise, right?"

"Leader."

Yugeon grabbed Shinje's arm and felt his fingertips to find his wrist. His dark eyes were filled with eagerness.

"Please."

Yugeon whispered in a slightly choked voice. The hand that gripped the wrist in the thin knitwear was tense. He wore a blank face, not like a person begging, but it was still a plea.

Heeseong was Yugeon's only weakness, not interested in fame or money. In other words, as soon as Yugeon gave up on Heeseong, the reason for Shinje to hold him would disappear. However, he knew that Yugeon would never abandon Heeseong until the very end. Shinje also had no intention of letting go of Yugeon forever. So the two wouldn't be able to get away from each other until one of them died.

"Let me get better first."

"Are you saying that you want guiding?"

"Whether or not to give you the third stamp. I'll decide only after I see Guide Baek Yugeon use his hole."

The moment he heard the obscene words, Yugeon's expression hardened. His complexion turned white, he felt pathetic trying to stay calm, and scowled at Shinje.

"This time my condition is a little worse... and I don't think it will be enough just putting it in your mouth."

Shinje gently loosened his arms holding Yugeon. He tilted his head slightly with a smile on his face.

"What are you doing? Not taking your clothes off..."

Pants, socks, and underwear that he had taken off randomly were scattered on the bed. He didn't even get to take his shirt off.

"This is going to take all day at this rate."

Yugeon was unbuttoning his shirt one by one when Shinje grabbed his arm and knocked him down. Yugeon fell flat over the bed on his stomach with only an open shirt on him.

"Ugh..."

He held Yugeon's pelvis with one hand, and tucked his other hand under the hem of his shirt. Sweeping down his sleek back and waist, he carelessly smacked the buttocks.

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry right now. This is all I need anyway."

Yugeon glared at him. After barely holding back his trembling neck, he eventually turned his gaze away and buried his head in the pillow.

"People might think I'm eating you alive... I even gave you two heads-up in advance just in case this happens."

Shinje leaned over his body quietly muttering to himself. A shadow was cast over his bare legs flushed under the soft bedroom lights. The mattress sunk in when he kneeled down and put his hands down on the sides.

After all, he really couldn't afford it right now. He had endured his aching desires until this very minute, when he had wanted to knock him down and take him in the subway station where mutant and human corpses were tangled together. Even after returning, he gave him some time to prepare his mind since he knew Yugeon would be afraid if he saw him when he was out of his mind due to side effects.

Of course it would be easier to tame the other person to tremble at the sight of his shadow doing whatever he wanted, but he decided to endure it this time. You might become a dog chasing chickens around if other people ate everything and only left you with leftovers while you were taking your sweet time imprinting fear in your prey.

I did this all for you, tell me how the hell am I supposed to restrain myself now that you are here with me?

"Yugeon-ah."

Shinje wrapped around Yugeon's waist, lowered himself and whispered in his ear. A fragrance resembling the dried roses in a winter garden flowed in. Yugeon closed his eyes tightly, burying his face in a soft pillow. The senses of his whole body started at every movement of the other person.

"The hole I poked… How many people have been here?"

A big hand grabbed his ass and pulled it apart. He tapped his dry skin with his index and middle fingers.

"Ah!"

His body remembered the fingers that he had once taken under the influence of drugs. And the sense of helplessness deep in his guts.

Shinje was faithful to the original purpose of ‘guiding’. There was no act of kissing Yugeon or caressing his body. He left his top on and only took off his bottoms to expose his hips, omitting all other foreplays and immediately poking the hole. A middle finger pressed against the entrance. His whole body went rigid with nervous tension. It was a learned fear. The tightly shrunken flesh seemed like it could not even accept half the finger.

"Did you have sex with Joo Taein? What about Yoon Chan?"

"....."

"I'm betting on Kwon Heesu. How was the kid?"

"....."

"Whose cock was the best? Who did you like the most? Hm?"

The more he continued, the deeper Shinje's smile. By the time he asked the last question, his shoulders shook, unable to control his laughter.

"...no one."

"....."

"No one did it. Please, shut your mouth."

"Ah… that's surprising. I thought maybe one or two people would have already packed themselves in this place."

As if what he just had whispered insidiously was a lie, the man returned to the smooth honorifics. It was a worse ridicule than openly insulting him.

Shinje raised his upper body. Under him was Yugeon, crumpled up in a wrinkled shirt. He put his index and middle fingers between his lips and sucked loudly on purpose. Yugeon's back stiffened as he sensed the upcoming act.

With one hand, he held Yugeon's buttocks apart, and pressed his wet fingers over the entrance. The soft, pale pink entrance was tightly closed as if not a single needle could enter, refusing to let anything in. He wet the entrance gently stroking with his fingertips, but there was no progress. The vicious desire was raising its head every minute. He was in a hurry.

"This kind of thing... I will have to teach you how to loosen up beforehand when you guide next time. So please let me in today, hm?"

"....."

"I wanted to get guiding, but rather I'm doing a service. What do you think?"

Shinje pulled his finger out of Yugeon. He pressed Yugeon's back with one hand, bowed his head, and put his tongue underneath.

"Stop... ah, that's weird, eeuk!"

Yugeon shuddered. The two legs under the man's solid body struggled wildly. The experience of having his entrance forcibly licked by the other person seemed quite shocking. What kind of expression would Yugeon make if he whispered in his ear that he had been imagining squeezing meringue cookies inside him since a while ago?

He grabbed Yugeon hard, leaving red handprints on his thighs. With the tip of his tongue, he gently licked the rim and then poked into the hole, soaking the inner walls stirring it around.

"Heuk! Haa... a..."

At first, Yugeon resisted with all his strength, but realized that he couldn't escape no matter what, so he gradually stopped making noises. Only the sound of heavy breathing was heard. He clasped the covers tightly and never raised his head. Looking from above, Shinje could see his jaw tightly tensed from clenching his teeth.

He raised his head only when he thought it was almost done. He smacked his lips and enjoyed the sight in front of him. The color of the hole, which was like the flesh of an unripe peach, had become a little darker. He tried putting his fingers back in. The cramped entrance barely managed a pause.

"Euk!"

Yugeon shrugged his hips. He had only put in the tip of his fingers, but his breathing was rough as if he had a cock shoved in. Fingers slipped out and came back in. He repeated it a few times like that. The insertion became deeper and deeper. The inner walls were intermittently scratched along the way as if pecking the inside.

"Heueuk... heu, ah."

Yugeon raised his hips clumsily and shook his thighs. He desperately buried his face in the pillow, and his moans were cut off.

"Guide Baek Yugeon. Show me your face."

Shinje asked as he repeatedly crammed his fingers in and out. The repeated movement drawing veins on the back of his hand and arms.

"No, I..."

Yugeon gasped out a reply. The sound was half swallowed by the pillow covering his face.

"I don't want, euk, I'll die..."

Shinje stopped his hand. Like a porcelain doll with glass eyes inserted, the inorganic gaze turned toward the back of Yugeon's head. He parted the warm inner walls and pulled out his fingers. The rim unconsciously clung to the knuckles. Yugeon swallowed a low moan, tightened the hole once and released it. He spread the buttocks to check the condition. The skin around the entrance was red and warm. A slightly wet hole in the middle of it twitched.

"Really? Then."

He looked down and murmured in a quiet voice.

"...I'll have to kill you."

Holding down Yugeon's pelvis, he loosened the front of his pants with one hand. Click. A button was undid and the zipper went down with a threatening sound. Something touched his wide-open ass under Shinje's grasp. It was a warm, heavy chunk of meat. Shinje grabbed the base of his dick and moved up and down, slowly tapping the wet entrance. He gently pressed the large glans, and spread the precum, rubbing it against the skin.

Shinje measured the scene with indifferent eyes. He couldn't get an estimate no matter what. Yugeon's pelvis was narrower than expected and the inside was too dry. Just by looking at it with his eyes, he calculated that he could only put it up to the navel. Otherwise, Yugeon's safety could not be guaranteed.

Unlike high ranking Hunters, who could heal just by waiting a few minutes with their amputated limbs pressed to the cut surface even if the arms and legs were badly severed, the guides could remain permanently disabled even if they were slightly injured. If the injury was worse they died easily. This was a guide he had been looking for with a lot of hard work attached. It would be a waste if he could only use it once and couldn't use it again because it was broken.

"Ah, ahh!"

The moment the rounded tip crumpled over the hole, the pressure was felt as if his entire intestines were being pushed up. His vision dimmed with instinctive fear. If he stayed like this, it would be inserted. That ruthless cock would pierce his body and he really would die. Yugeon tried to get up, putting his trembling arms on the bed. All he could think about was running away from here.

"I can't do this anymore. No, I can't... "

"Where are you going?"

Shinje whispered with a hoarse voice. Disturbed breaths leaked out. There is a guide in front of you. There is a wet hole twitching asking you to come in. All you have to do is shove your cock in there. But the prey is terrified and trying to run away.

His eyes turned red.

The two men's reason snapped almost at the same time. One ran away while the other one rushed in. They were intertwined desperately like animals with only their instinct left. Shinje hurriedly grabbed Yugeon's waist and pulled him closer. The ugly erected cock was shoved into the narrow entrance. Yugeon crawled forward, shaking his head like crazy.

Hands gripped his thighs and Yugeon was dragged back, dragging the bed sheet along. The box on the bed tilted sideways and fell with the rough movements. A few individually wrapped meringue cookies rolled out onto the quilt.

He put his cock in the hole and pressed in gently. Even if he said the inside had been prepared, it was all done with two fingers. There was no way a cock could easily enter. He applied more force, barely pushing the tip halfway in.

"Haeuk!"

Yugeon gasped out a shriek. The inner walls tightened for a moment. The hole was so cramped that the half inserted glans was pushed out. Shinje clenched his teeth and tried to insert it again. His jaw and neck muscles were tense. Veins also stood out on the back of his hands that were holding Yugeon, who was constantly trying to crawl away. Red handprints were left on Yugeon's white waist held in his hands.

The glans dug in persistently, and finally, the thickest part was inserted. The most sensitive part was wrapped in the warm mucous membrane.

"....."

Yugeon sobbed silently as he rubbed his sweat-soaked forehead on the sheets. The ribbon from the box, which had been lying around on the bed, was gently touching his hair. His shirt was also badly wrinkled and drenched in sweat.

"Just, a little more."

It was only the tip but he felt like dying, but Shinje, pressing him down from behind, was persistent. The pelvis, which had been receiving the man's weight, was aching. Since the thickest part went in, it was relatively easy after that. The cock with rugged veins was slowly inserted with obscene sounds. The hole that was barely swallowing the huge cock tightened without a single crease.

"Haa, heueug."

He couldn't stand it any longer. Yugeon collapsed on his stomach, from where he had been struggling to stand up and move away. The upper body sprawled, only the hips were left slightly raised in an awkward position. But it turned out to be a bad choice. As he laid down on the bed, the cock inside pressed against the inner wall, knocking out his breath. His stomach churned and he felt nauseated.

"Ugh...!"

If he stayed like this, he felt like the cock would pop out though his belly skin. I have to stand up again. He thought desperately. Yugeon tried to raise his upper body with his trembling hands. But he didn't even have the energy to get up, so he collapsed back on the bed. The cock, which had been half-embedded and shoved deep to the limit of the insides, wriggled vigorously in the meantime. He couldn't breathe even now, but if he came in more from here, he might really explode and die. It was painful and scary.

Reason had disappeared and only instinct remained. Only the thought of preventing further insertion somehow filled his mind. He laid flat on his stomach, gasping breathlessly, and squeezed the erection inside with only the little strength he could manage. The guiding, that had lost control, poured out accordingly. It was dizzying. For a moment, Shinje's vision whitened from intense pleasure and then returned.

The idea really was too cute. It was so obvious that he had never gotten another guy's dick before until now. In this situation, however, it was quite difficult. He hadn't even put it all in yet, but he almost came.

"Yugeon-ah, stop whining... hm? I told you. I'm not going to eat you..."

Shinje whispered through his rough breaths. The inner walls were too tight that he couldn't get his dick out or push in deeper. His hair, which seemed to be mixed with gold, was also wet with sweat and darkened in color.

"Relax... There you go."

"Ah, ahh, ah..."

"Haa."

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Long eyelashes trembled with pleasure. He fixed Yugeon's pelvis and pulled back his waist a little. The rim puckered out along with the dick withdrawing slightly.

Yugeon weakly gasped, as he could no longer make a proper sound. The exposed soft earlobes under the disheveled hair flushed bright red. Shinje took a deep breath and pushed his dick back in. The rim tightened down on the arousal vigorously. It was put in a little and stopped, put in a little and stopped again, and when it was blocked on the way, it was taken out a little, and rammed back in, and repeated patiently. The length, which seemed impossible to fit in, slowly disappeared between Yugeon's buttocks.

As his insides were gradually filled under Shinje, Yugeon suddenly remembered the word crossbreeding. Shinje and he did not match. It wasn't just about physique or genital size. Something far removed from humans. Beasts, monsters, angels, or demons. It felt like being violated by a being who was nothing and everything at the same time.

At last, the man's thighs came crashing against his hips. The glans were lodged in a place where the inner wall was sharply narrowed. His entire stomach churned.

"Heua, ah!"

Yugeon shuddered, and tried to move his body upward. Shinje firmly pressed down on his shoulder. As the remaining length was firmly inserted, it went even deeper.

"Yugeon-ah."

"....."

"Guide Baek Yugeon...?"

Yugeon, who was lying with his face buried in the pillow, was panting hard. His knuckles stood out white on the back of his hand, clutching the blanket like a lifeline. He was shaking pitifully. Even the sound of his breathing trembled dangerously. He didn't even seem to hear Shinje's voice.

At that moment, Shinje was overwhelmed with the urge to see his face. What kind of face he would be making when he cried, would he be enduring the pain and shame, or would he be reflecting on his hatred? He wanted to check it out right now. He could have forcibly grabbed his chin and turned it around if he wanted to. But he had no intention of doing that. The way he wanted to ruin Yugeon wasn't that clichéd.

"If you don't like ‘sex’ this much... I'll let you do ‘guiding’."

Following the words, Shinje leaned his upper body over Yugeon's body. The cock lodged deep inside was pressed down with the weight on him. Perhaps the movement stimulated Yugeon, he swallowed a distressed moan.

"Until I'm recovered. Until then... Just like this, stay still."

"....."

"Then I will do nothing more and take it out quietly."

True to his words, Shinje really stopped moving after that. He climbed on top of Yugeon, straddling him, stuck his lower body close, piercing his insides like a stake, and no longer moved.

When Shinje grabbed him and blindly shoved his dick in, he was busy screaming and writhing. But now his whole body was on edge. He could feel a regular pulse of thumping and beating in his stiff, wide open buttocks and lower abdomen. Each time, the bumpy surface of the girth was felt vividly as if it were being touched with hands.

"Haa eung..."

Yugeon bit his lip and swallowed a sob. He just wanted to turn around and get out of here right away if he could. The posture was very uncomfortable. His pelvis was forcibly opened, his stomach cramped from lying face down, and his thighs, which were carrying Shinje's weight, were also sore.

He wondered if it would have been better lying face up instead of stubbornly insisting on not showing his face. However, it was impossible to move in the slightest as the arm-sized thing was lodged deep inside.

He said he would take it out after the guiding was done. So he just has to hang in there a little bit. Don't know how long it will be, but it won't be long. Yeah, this is guiding, not sex. It is not an act to get pleasure, but only to heal Shinje. So it is fine. It's just work. Even if his body collapses, his mind won't.

To avoid accidentally looking up at Shinje, Yugeon held the pillow tightly in his arms and buried his face. He tried to ignore the gaze of the man who was looking down at him from behind, and the throbbing of the dick felt in his belly. He waited patiently for the subtle senses to disappear and hoped that time would pass quickly.

"Haa… ah, eung."

After staying like that for a while, he tossed and turned his head a little bit as he couldn't breathe properly. That small movement changed the insertion angle. The cock, which was inserted obliquely from the back, pressed down a few centimeters below the navel. As it was, the glans slipped and scratched a certain spot. A weird sensation mixed with itchiness, pain or numbness spread through the inner wall.

"Uht…!"

Yugeon unintentionally tightened his lower abdomen. He closed his eyes and tried to forget the sensation he felt earlier. But his insides flinched intermittently against his will.

Once he began to be conscious of the sensation, he became uncontrollably sensitive. He reacted to every little twitch of the dick inside and every pounding of his pulse. He completely forgot how to release strength and how to relieve tension. When he took a deep breath to calm himself down, his stomach tightened, making it even more uncomfortable.

"Heuk… haa… ah… eung!"

Before he knew it, he was out of breath. Yugeon gathered his arms and laid face down. Cold sweat quickly soaked the pillow below.

"Why are you so restless? At this rate, it will become real sex."

While watching Yugeon's struggle below him and keeping his dick still, Shinje suddenly spoke up. Since his senses were extremely sensitive, Yugeon was startled by the voice. His ass squirmed a little.

"Do you want me to move?"

After throwing that question, without waiting for an answer, he gently patted Yugeon's back and moved his waist.

"Ah!"

A shrill moan broke out. The inner wall, which had been burning up to its fullest and longing for stimulation, sucked the dick in as if it had been waiting. He didn't move much back and forth, just slightly pounding it deep.

"Eug..."

Tears ran down from Yugeon's eyes in embarrassment. He felt weak and his reason weakened as he tried to endure this whole thing that was showing no signs of ending. Why are you changing your words when you said you'd stay still? Yes, he shouldn't have trusted that guy in the first place. He was someone who committed atrocities with a pretty face. I hate it, no, this feels good. ......It felt good? He was horrified by his own reaction a beat late.

"You keep tightening your ass. Are you begging me for more......?"

Shinje murmured to himself. His breathing was also getting harder and rougher. Perhaps it was from the pleasure that came from crushing a person who was acting stiffly like a wooden doll, the intense erogenous sensations rose too quickly. At this rate, he might actually climax without even moving properly. He shook his waist gently, slowing down his thrusts. Yugeon let out a groan, feeling the inner walls pulsating. He stirred his calves back and forth pinned under Shinje, desperately crushing the quilt with his toes.

"No..."

"No? Why?"

"I don't like it. I'm scared. I... heueuk!"

"Guiding is okay, but sex is scary? It's the same thing."

Shinje asked gently. The movement, which was kept light, became a little rougher and more intense. This wasn't it. At this rate, it seemed like it would be really become sex just as Shinje said. He had to run away before it got any weirder.

Yugeon hurriedly reached out his arms and grabbed the headboard. He pulled himself forward as he went. The cock, that had been lodged deep enough to cause nausea, slowly came out. He thought he could take the entire thing out if he went a little further. But then a large hand reached out from behind and grabbed his hair. He couldn't even let out a scream. And, puck.

"Ah, heuk!"

The cock, which fell out more than half, was shoved in all at once. The more he dug in, the narrower it became, so he had to tighten his waist. Intense pressure was felt as if it could peel off the skin of the dick. As it was pierced to the roots, the inner wall, which was constantly trying to shrink back to its original state, was forcibly spread open and settled. A breath of satisfaction flowed out of him. At the same time, Shinje's last patience was calmly destroyed.

He walked up with his knees and pressed his lower body close to Yugeon. He tried to find a good angle to thrust inside. He spread Yugeon's hips with both hands, splitting them wide open. The rim, which had been struggling to hold on to the length tightly, was pulled horizontally. The insertion became tighter. He grabbed his waist, which was wet with sweat, and wrapped his hands around it.

From that point on, he started thrusting earnestly. The flesh slapped loudly. Yugeon's buttocks quickly turned red. Whenever the thick glans crushed inside and withdrew, his eyes glazed over.

He freaked out, as if Shinje's cock that was stabbing his insides was like a knife. He did his best trying to keep up with the cock thrusting in and out of him, but he knew no technique. Whenever Shinje plunged in, he just clamped down tightly and waited. This wasn't bad either.

"Heuk, eung, haa... ah, ah, ah!"

The shirt Yugeon had on had long since ceased to function as clothing. The thin fabric was drenched in sweat showing the bare skin underneath. The wrinkled hem of the clothes swayed gently every time he was fucked hard from behind.

The thin shirt obscuring his view was annoying. Shinje did not stop moving his waist and tried to take off his shirt. But it didn't come off easily. He grabbed Yugeon by the shoulder and ripped off the shirt. The shoulder seams were quickly torn to shreds. He then flung the tattered pieces of clothing out of his sight.

"Aag!"

Yugeon gasped out a shriek in a cracked voice. The bare back and thin waist that were profusely flushed red were finally revealed. The sight brought a feverish heat from his nape and down to his spine.

Shinje leaned down pressing his chest close to Yugeon's back. He pushed his hand under Yugeon, struggling helplessly to keep up with the movements, and wrapped his entire palm around his belly. He fucked like he was trying to put the weight on it. With every sharp roll of his waist, he could feel that a certain part of Yugeon's lower abdomen became stiff and bulged, shifting up and down.

Will Yugeon's stomach eventually rip if he thrusted even harder? Will the blood-stained dick stick out from the rip? No, on the contrary, wouldn't it be fine to cut Yugeon's stomach straight with a scalpel and insert it? Wouldn't it be essentially the same in that it was either driven through his back or punctured from the outside, buying his dick inside him?

"Aheueug!"

He was swaying helplessly in the upright position, and then, suddenly, Yugeon slumped down as if he had been struck by lightning. His back curved. His forehead briefly hit the top of the quilt.

"Heueuk... eu, ah... eung."

He leaned on the bed and tried to get up somehow. His trembling arms, however, sagged back down, and fell back on the comforter. He forced his upper body up again. From his fingertips to his wrist, shoulders and back, he was trembling all over. Redness spread over his ears and cheeks to the back of his neck. His whole body was glistening with sweat.

He couldn't even breathe properly. He gasped out sharp moans as if he was taking blows. His cock drooping between his legs got an erection and was dripping precum.

What kind of reaction was this again? He certainly looked like he was distressed, but also didn't seem like he was in pain. Shinje smiled briefly at the sight of him, watching him with his hazy eyes and nudging his cock inside deeper.

"Yugeon-ah."

"....."

"You, it feels good... right?"

He slid his hand down and held Yugeon's cock swaying between his thighs. The slightly flushed shaft was gripped in his hands.

"Hnng…!"

Yugeon flinched. The winding inner wall froze and clamped down on the dick thrusting inside. After a few seconds of stiffness, his whole body spasmed like he was having a fit. He shook his head, which he couldn't even move properly, from side to side as if he were out of his mind. It felt like a positive reaction because it was an overly violent denial.

He stretched out his arms behind him and tried to push Shinje away. But the man seated behind him did not budge. Rather than backing off, he gathered the dripping precum and slathered it along Yugeon's rapidly hardening length with his entire palm.

"Hm? No?"

"Ah, ah, no, that, don't, heuaa!"

"What do you mean no......."

Puck, puck, puck! He fucked into him, hard and fast, knocking the air out from his lungs. Changing the angle forward, backward, diagonally, the slick drag of every thrusts against his inner walls made him sob. He felt the side of his stomach rubbed softly. Every time Shinje thrusted in, he felt as if all the organs in his body were pushed up to just below his neck, and when thrusted back out, the organs gouged out together with it.

It was like having sex with the whole body. Shinje had not even climaxed and yet his stomach was already bloated. Like a stray dog forcibly mated in a dirty alley.

"Eung... Ah! Keueug... heu."

Yugeon clenched his teeth and dropped his head down. Incomprehensible words leaked out. Saliva ran down his lips. He swallowed a groan as a blood vessel stood out in his neck. He crumpled up the blanket with his sweaty hands, sinking his fingernails down on his palm. Tiny drops of blood dripped from the flesh under the neatly trimmed nails. He could feel his inner walls spasming and contracting around Shinje's length. It was terribly shameful.

Yugeon squirmed and crawled forward, leaking from his cock. Shinje persistently followed, pressing himself close to him. As soon as the gap between them widened a little, he immediately moved forward, grabbed his neck and pressed him down. His breath was tightened. Yugeon collapsed helplessly and slumped back down on the bed, Shinje hovering above. The soft knit Shinje was wearing was also drenched with sweat.

"Heuk, heueub!"

Yugeon floundered like a drowning man. He tried to scratch the back of the large hand pressing down his nape. Like a stuffed insect on a glass plate, threaded his limbs immovable, he writhed around to escape, but to no avail.

Shinje rutted and thrusted into the slick hole mindlessly, the feverish walls fluttering around his throbbing length. The sound of smacking flesh was deafening. Every time he pounded in the wet heat, intense pleasure overtook his mind, his eyes glazing over every now and then. It felt like he was fucking the heart directly rather than a hole. Life and warmth flowed out from the lithe body under him, and the out-of-control overwhelming guiding ability engulfed him.

His long fingers were still gripping Yugeon's neck, still pressing him down. Yugeon's breathing had gotten thinner. The pressure from the inner walls contracting and relaxing had also weakened. Shinje thought with his pupils wide open and expressionless. What? Is something wrong? Are you going die getting fucked under me?

His hand finally slipped away from Yugeon's neck. He roughly pulled out once, and then slammed his dick back in, deep down his whole length all at once, filling him completely.

"Heueug......!"

Yugeon, who had been stubbornly ignoring him until now, looked back at him. Finally, their eyes met for the very first time since they started their ‘guiding session’. Sweat-drenched bangs were swept away, revealing his face. The wet, red gaze looked sensually aroused. Eyes widened, as if in shock. A drop of tear trickled down on his cheek.

"Haeu...... ug, heuah, ah......!"

As he met Shinje's eyes, his insides twitched and contracted. His wet eyes trembled. Yugeon turned his head again and clenched his teeth. The tangled gaze was broken. The neck, shoulders, and back were so tense that thin bones stood out on his back, muscles also hardened. All the movements seemed strangely slow.

After the major convulsions, the inner walls narrowed down several times. The soft red rim cramped down on the dick. Immediately after that, Yugeon peaked, breath hitching, dirtying Shinje's hands and the bedding, almost shooting it under his chin.

He couldn't take it any longer. Shinje supported Yugeon's head with one hand, hunched down and kissed him. The kiss was savage, as if to bite off Yugeon's tongue, swallowing his whimpering moans. His cock was lodged in the deepest place possible. In that position, he too came undone, emptying himself inside Yugeon's wet heat. Every crease on the inner wall was flooded with his climax. He took his dick out tantalizingly, then fucked back in, finishing it all inside to the very last drop.

No drugs in the world could replace Yugeon's guiding. It wasn't just at a mere level making people forget the pain. It was enchanting and terrifying at the same time. The sensation of running wild while having sex with him quickly faded. The wounds on his back where the flesh had melted from poison miraculously sprouted new flesh. All existing laws had gone awry. Time went back, gravity retrogressed, entropy reversed. The universe shattered into a million pieces.

The long lasting climax was finally over. Their lips that had been interlocked throughout the ordeal were slowly separated.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Yugeon coughed, trying to exhale the blocked breath. Tears were clinging to his eyelashes, wet hair scattered, and his face blushing red. It was very sensual.

"....."

Shinje lazily blinked his eyes, in which the lingering emotions of the love affair remained, and stared down at Yugeon who was still held tightly in his arms. Then he reached out and gently touched his cheeks. Like a deep-sea fish that had always lived at the bottom of the sea and saw the sun shining on the surface for the very first time in his life.

Yugeon woke up in a spacious bed. He was the only one under the duvet that was soft as if it was made of clouds. He sat up half asleep. The dull throbbing pain immediately hit his whole body. The pain was particularly much more intense in his inner thighs, his pelvis and the lower back.

It felt like back when he tripped down a flight of stairs during an operation and rolled an entire floor. What did he do last night? He slowly worked his hazy head. Soon the memory just before going to sleep came back. His spine cooled as if he had been splashed with ice water.

"....."

Yugeon jumped out of his seat. It was because he suddenly remembered whose bed this unnecessarily wide belonged to. His face scrunched up at the sharp pain that quickly crawled up from his hips.

After having dinner and resting for a while in the room, he answered Shinje's call. Unexpectedly, he was called to the bedroom, ate meringue cookies, and then… and then. Yugeon gently brushed away his messy hair. Even his arm muscles were sore. His body, after suffering from a night of unfamiliar acts, was also complaining of fatigue.

He looked around for now. The clothes that he had thrown off halfway through yesterday were neatly folded and laid out on a desk. He roughly put on underwear and pants. He stumbled a little while tucking his legs into his pants, still drowsy from sleep. The shirt, however, was turned into a rag that it was impossible to wear, so he had no choice but to give it up.

He then heard something rattling in the distance. He left the bedroom, blinking his stiff eyelids languidly. He trudged barefoot on cold marble without even thinking of putting slippers on.

The morning sun shone through the glass windows of the penthouse with all the blinds up. Yugeon glanced at the scenery outside the window. The blue sky was cloudy, resembling a murky blue river. Somehow, it didn't feel real. He felt as if he was still wandering in his sleep.

The sound was heard again. It was on the other side of the living room spacious enough to hold a meeting with dozens of people. He followed the sound blindly, rubbing his eyes.

The man he was looking for was found in the kitchen. He was standing in front of an espresso machine with one hand on the counter and waiting for the coffee to be dispensed. Yesterday he was dressed in a light ivory knit, but today he was wearing a dark blue shirt. The slacks wrapped around the long legs were smooth without a single wrinkle.

Shinje standing in front of the kitchen counter, he had thought it would be a scenario that wouldn't suit him at all. Like an emperor doing chores. But in reality, it wasn't that awkward. Yugeon had no interest in interior design or fashion, but he thought it would be easy for someone like that to be a model.

Yugeon leaned against the door frame, upper body bare with only pants on, and watched him for a while. Shinje asked a question abruptly without even looking back at him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"....."

There was no answer from Yugeon. Only then did Shinje turn around. Yugeon was looking his way, leaning obliquely against the door frame with a half-asleep gaze. All over the exposed upper body was tinged with red. His black hair was messy like a magpie house where a baby magpie had attempted to build a nest. One way or another, he deserved to look drowsy and tired as he practically did suck out all his energy last night.

"...Yes?"

Yugeon asked back a beat later. Since his usual harshness had disappeared, all that left was a face soft and sullen. Shinje couldn't help but chuckle.

"I asked if you slept well."

"Ah... Yes."

Yugeon nodded. How could that man be so nonchalant when they just rolled around in the same bed last night and did all sorts of things? Was that man abnormal, or was he himself abnormal? He didn't know. Last night was his very first time.

"Come out after taking a shower. It's almost morning."

"No, I'm fine..."

"How could I let my guide leave with an empty stomach? After making him work so hard last night."

He felt a sense of shame for no reason. Yugeon sighed softly and rubbed his face dry with one hand. Reason soon returned to the eyes that seemed to have gone elsewhere.

"I'll go wash up."

Leaving only a single blunt reply, he turned around, straightening his upper body against the door frame. Like the rest of the space, the bathroom was too grandiose to step in as well. It took less than 10 minutes for Yugeon to come out again, as he was used to washing up so quickly that most soldiers would tell him to take it easy. It was only natural when he had lived so far without knowing what a conditioner or treatment was.

By the time he came out wiping his hair with a white towel, there was a breakfast spread already set on the living room table. From strong coffee to toast, golden-grilled bacon, scrambled eggs, and even a simple salad. Shinje looked like someone who had never fried an egg with his own hands, but surprisingly, he seemed to know how to cook basic dishes.

Yugeon flopped down at the table with a wet towel hanging from his neck. Without even thinking about covering the traces of the love affair blatantly engraved on the naked upper body. Shinje's gaze casually swept over him.

It was either one of the two. Either he was bold enough to show that he'd had sex, or he had no interest in his own body that he did not even realize that there were marks left on his body. It was likely to be the latter with a high probability.

How would other people react if they saw Yugeon acting like that? First of all, Taein would be offended. Rather than being jealous of him, that guy would focus on the fact that Yugeon was untidy.

Chan had a rather straightforward side, unlike his appearance, perhaps because he lived as a non-Awakened person for a long time. He would just rag on about how he wasn't curious about their sex life and not to terrorize his eyes, and then storm out of the room.

Heesu would rather enjoy the view with his eyes twinkling. He was the guy who had openly said that taking away someone else's guide was more fun and exciting than finding a new one.

"Would you like to have a drink? I made it by myself."

A steaming cup of coffee was pushed in front of Yugeon. Yugeon nodded and held the cup with both hands.

"Thank you for the food."

As soon as he took a sip of coffee, Yugeon frowned at the unexpected taste. He put down his cup after only one sip.

"....."

To him, coffee was made by tearing the mixed coffee wrapper, shaking it out, pouring hot water, and stirring it with the end of the wrapper. The taste was just as sweet as coffee-flavored candy or melted ice cream. Not this dirty bitter black liquid.

He did not openly express his discontent, however. As usual, he just frowned slightly still with a blank face. Anyone who saw it would just think that there was something inconvenient going on, and that's about it.

"How does it taste?"

"I thought it was burnt or rotten."

An uneasy reply came back. He genuinely was someone who never said empty words. Shinje couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. A face that looked cold and arrogant when he was expressionless or had only a habitual smile put on bloomed like a flower bud when he laughed out loud.

"It wasn't on purpose. Why would I feed my precious guide like that?"

He then picked up a meringue cookie from a pile that was placed on a plate at the edge of the table and opened the package. The cookies looked like leftovers from the box he unwrapped yesterday. Even if it wasn't, his mouth was bitter. Yugeon unconsciously reached out and tried to take the cookie. But all of a sudden, Shinje swiped the meringue cookie back and put it on his lips. Yugeon's hand was awkwardly left in the air. Without even giving him time to protest, Shinje wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in. His lips softly brushed against Yugeon's, and the white meringue cookie was passed from mouth to mouth.

"....."

Yugeon's face contorted. However, spitting out the food in his mouth just because he didn't like it wasn't his option. After a little hesitation, he reluctantly swallowed the sweetly melted dessert.

Shinje initially seemed to be picky about cooking. To be more precise, he looked like someone who would only drink from expensive Nordic bottled water, and dine with a chef standing next to the table. But the way he ate was unexpectedly casual. Yet at the same time, it was strangely elegant.

"Guide Baek Yugeon, take good care of your stamina. Because you didn't eat and sleep properly, you fainted with just one time."

Shinje pointed out, cutting the juicy bacon with a knife.

"I treated you as kindly as I could, but I don't think anyone else would be the same. What are you going to do when you have to do it with several people all at once. Are you going to tell us to get a numbered ticket and wait for a turn?"

He was trying to lift the salad leaves with a fork, but as soon as he heard those words, Yugeon stopped. Any expression on his face slowly faded away.

Of course he knew. He was a guide. Precisely, a guide that was sold on the condition of blind obedience. He could be blatantly exploited and abused, and what he did last night with Shinje, he knew he had to do it with other people as well. Shinje was just kindly reminding him of the fact that he had only vaguely known in his head.

In any case, guiding was just something he had to do in exchange for saving his brother. He hated it to death, but he had to force himself to do it. Besides, Yugeon was not so delicate as to be feeling like he had taken a blow from those words. He had gotten used to all sorts of abusive remarks and slanderous rumors ever since he arrived at Erewhon. But, for some reason, right now, he felt dirty. Was he actually expecting Shinje to treat him properly like a human being now that they had spent a night together ‘guiding’ him?

Yugeon had realized that these people would never change. They were born to be the strongest at the top of the food chain and they would never understand Yugeon's anger, anguish, or despair at all. No matter how much he cried and howled from anger, it would just be a fun game for them. Yugeon swallowed a twisted laugh inside. It was funny to be hurting over this all over again. No matter how hard he went through, his heart that he thought had hardened cracked.

The rare leisurely atmosphere between the two of them froze. Since then, Yugeon quietly emptied the plate in front of him and no longer said a word. Shinje also did not show any reaction. Maybe it was because he did not notice Yugeon's abnormality, or… maybe it was just that he knew it, but did not feel it was worth worrying about. There was no master who would ever took in consideration of the feelings of a slave.

"Get yourself ready to go out and wait in your room. Keep your terminal powered on."

After finishing the meal in silence, Shinje opened his mouth casually, clearly not acknowledging the frigid atmosphere in the room.

"Where are we going?"

"The neighborhood where Guide Baek Yugeon lived before became a bug nest. Remember?"

"....."

"Ah... and, can you get that case over there?"

Shinje leaned back on the sofa and made a swift gesture to some place over Yugeon's shoulder. He seemed very accustomed to ordering people around. Yugeon clenched his teeth and stood up from his seat.

It was a velvet case which was only about a span of his hand. Inside was a necklace. A necklace made of thin silver cord, and in the middle was a flat, angular piece of metal instead of a pendant for decoration. Military dog tag? No, it was a little smaller than that.

"Come here."

Shinje wiggled his fingers. When Yugeon stood in front of him, he grabbed hold of his waist, lifted him up and sat him face to face on top of his thighs. The wet towel that was still hanging on Yugeon's neck was taken off and tossed away somewhere else. Instead, he hung the necklace. The thin metal winding around his neck was cold on his skin.

"What is this?"

Shinje placed Yugeon's head on his shoulder and clasped his exposed nape with one hand. He replied calmly, fastening the lock with his other hand.

"It's a small chip. It measures and transmits the wearer's biological response in real time. It also comes with location tracking."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yugeon pushed him hard. Their eyes met at a distance close enough to reflect each other in their eyes.

"Was it really necessary... Do you really have to do this? You know I won't be able to run away!"

Yugeon's dark eyes burned with anger. His lower lip trembling.

"Now you're very straightforward dealing with this livestock. Why don't you just put the chip into my body? What's next? Are you going to examine my flesh and grade it for meat quality?"

In a fit of anger, Yugeon bit the inside of his lower lip and fumbled for the lock on the necklace. He couldn't figure out the lock however. This time, he tried to rip off the string tied around his neck. The thin cord, which looked like it could break even with a little pull, did not budge. Red string marks quickly showed up on his neck.

"Ugh..."

"Stop it, you'll get hurt."

Shinje pulled away Yugeon's hands gently and quietly comforted him. Yugeon shook off the hand with all his strength.

"You can't unlock it without a key. It's made from mutant by-products, so it won't break that easily. And if you try to force it, the chip will explode and your whole head will fly..."

Yugeon glared at him sharply. A raw, unrefined, killing intent fluttered in his eyes.

"...I'm not going to, but oh my, I'm scared... I was just joking."

Shinje smiled and raised his hands up as if he was surrendering.

"Guide Baek Yugeon. Didn't I tell you? I'll give you something much stronger than the handcuffs that the Espers put you in."

"....."

"These are the shackles I'm giving you."

"What the hell is that..."

"In the gates, that is when we enter the Pit."

"....."

"It's going to be unimaginably harder than you can imagine. What we went through at Jangheon Station was just a light walk."

Just as his voice was about to rise, Shinje firmly cut off Yugeon's words. Before he knew it, the laughter and playfulness had disappeared from him.

"There, I can't afford to make sure that Guide Baek Yugeon is following me well and is safe and sound."

"....."

"And, to be honest... it's scary. I'm afraid I'll lose my Guide Baek Yugeon in there."

A man who seemed to have the whole world at his feet, who seemed to have never experienced anything scary in his life, spoke weakly. Yugeon forgot his anger for a moment.

"But I can't carry you around."

Shinje lowered his eyes and sighed deeply, pretending to be miserable and sad. In no time, he had returned to his original brazen attitude.

"Just keep this in mind. This is a shackle, and this is the least I can do to ensure Guide Baek Yugeon's safety."

Yugeon no longer responded. He was drowning in his own thoughts. Everything was tangled in his head and he couldn't keep up.

After that, there was no further conversation. He roughly cleaned up the dishes and utensils on the table and prepared to go back to his room. According to Shinje, they would soon be going to the neighborhood where he used to live. The shirt that Yugeon wore last night was impossible to salvage, so he had to borrow a new shirt instead. The size was so large that the shoulder line flowed down and the long sleeves covered the back of his hands. He was annoyed for some reason.

He went to the front door and looked back for the last time. Shinje was sitting alone on the sofa where the two of them sat facing each other earlier, sipping coffee leisurely. He seemed to be checking work-related contacts on his cell phone.

He didn't appear to have any slightest intention to come out and see Yugeon off. Not that Yugeon wanted him to see him off either. Still, he thought he should say he was leaving. He rolled up the sleeves that kept falling down and muttered.

"I'm leaving."

Shinje glanced up at him and smiled.

"How nice. Even saying goodbye."

"....."

Kwaang! Yugeon slammed the door shut on his way out, no longer bothering to reply. In a brief moment before the door closed, a faint laughter was heard from the inside.

The mutant that hatched after eating believers of an emerging religious sect crawled out of the building. The misfortune didn't stop there. There were more than one or two branches of that religion, and all of them worshiped mutant eggs as sacred objects. Swarms of insects, including the giant insect-type mutant, rose like dark clouds all over the skyline. Even in broad daylight, the sky looked black. Sirens, explosions and screams were heard all over the city.

"Stop it!"

"It's impossible. It's not enough!"

"When the hell are the Pyrokineticists coming?"

"It seems that they are still at the field in Imgyeong-dong. Once they finish sorting things out there, they will immediately come here."

"What? We can't wait that long!"

The Espers who were dispatched after receiving the report were struggling in full swing. The giant worm-shaped mutant was stronger than they expected. In addition, the reproduction speed was too fast for an insect type mutant. Within a few hours of delay, the larvae that hatched came out, ate people, shedded their skin and laid more eggs. The little bugs that followed it around were equally annoying. They were about the size of a fly, so it was hard to kill with guns or knives. Moreover, these were mutants so common pesticides wouldn't work on them either.

"Lieutenant Park."

"Yes."

"The cult members we arrested. Did we get any useful statements? How to wipe them out or whatever."

While hundreds of believers were devoured by mutants, there were still a handful of sect members who survived. They were currently under arrest on charges of illegally trading mutant by-products.

"There was none. They are even saying that this is the punishment ‘He’ is inflicting on mankind."

The Espers sighed in unison. Their dark red uniforms, which were once as neat and sharp as a knife, were messed up with insect body fluids and debris from the surrounding buildings.

"Argh!"

A scream was heard from the frontlines. The line of defense must have been breached. The mutant, floating in the air flapping its wings and looking for a gap, flew in. The glare from its tail brightened the alley in a flash. The mutant stretched out its tentacles instead of its legs and snatched the body of an Esper standing in a daze. It was a fairly agile movement for its gigantic size. Udeuduek. A terrible sound came from the waist wrapped in thick tentacles.

"Urgh, no..."

"Where!"

Another Esper jumped in and swung his sword. The tentacles were cut in half by a blade made of special materials. The Esper who was just about to be suffocated was released. He rolled on the ground and coughed hard.

"Cough! Cough!"

The situation was not good. The Awakening Management Headquarters hastily judged that the mutants would be just common small-sized ones when they heard the word ‘insect-type’ mutant, and dispatched only mid- to low-level personnel. Most of them were those with abilities that were not very useful in dealing with enemies flying in the air.

"Really. This is driving me crazy."

Someone muttered under their breath. It was then, a black figure flickered over a building a few blocks away.

"Huh?"

Their eyes were immediately drawn to it. A black beast was lurking on the roof of the building. It was a large black cougar with a beautiful glossy luster.

There was no way a wild animal would suddenly appear on a street full of concrete buildings. Nor was it a high-level mutant. Mutant species was a term for a combination of a variety that looked like a mixture of several species and a heterogeneous species, a completely new creature that did not exist on Earth before the Outbreak. Then there was only one answer. A person with the ability to transform themselves. If only a part of their body changed then their rank would be at a lower level. But if their appearance itself changed, it was entirely a new story.

"Hah."

"Isn't that Yoon Chan? The shapeshifter."

"Yoon Chan? Erewhon?"

There was a startling roar. The black cougar crouched down, contracting his muscles, then kicked the floor as if exploding all his power at once. The solid body shot out like a bullet. The black cougar jumped about 3 meters from the original spot with ease. Accelerated by running, he hit the mutant floating in the air with his weight. The roar of the wild beast rang out loud.

The fight didn't last long. The mutant crushed by the large paws squirmed and wriggled its tentacles. In that state, it flew back up and shook its wings like crazy trying to escape. The black cougar did not allow the speedy retreat, raised his claws and scratched the mutant's wings. The nerves the size of a person's forearm connecting the wings and the body were ripped off. Body fluids flew out on the spot. The mutant dropped down to the ground shaking with its one remaining wing.

Is it finally done? Everyone watched the scene with bated breath. But the black cougar suddenly stopped moving. The fur of the beast, dark as the night sky, wiggled loudly. In the next moment, a man in a black shirt was standing in the place of the black cougar.

"Ew."

Chan made a disgusted face, shaking his hands haphazardly. He soon found the Espers standing a few meters away like they were spectators to the fight. Their eyes met.

"...loyalty?" [3]

Chan raised his hand near his forehead, pretending to salute. The gesture was so insincere as if he was making fun of everyone in the vicinity.

"It's really awkward."

He then lifted his boots, aiming at the mutant. Only then did the Espers realize why he had returned back to his human form. He didn't want to experience the feeling of crushing the insect's body with his bare skin, whether it was his hands or his paws. It was an excuse that was both arrogant and strangely understandable at the same time.

"Hunter Yoon Chan, a moment."

Another man strode out of a gap between the buildings with a short restraining hand signal. Chan, who was about to trample the body of the mutant, responded bluntly.

"What the. What again this time?"

"If you stomp it to death, eggs or parasites will pop out."

"Tell me sooner."

Chan backed away immediately. Taein reached out to the mutant. The mutant widened its snout as if it was about to make its last move. Taein was faster however. The mutant's antennae were grasped by hands cladded in black gloves. Smoke rose from the spot. A pungent, astringent, strangely rattling smell spread all over the place.

"Kkig! Kkog, kkeueu... kkiig."

The mutant opened its mouth and screeched. The body the size of a car also shook like crazy. From the place where Taein's hands touched, the body of the mutant slowly melted away. The hard shell shrunk to a dark brown color, and a yellowish ooze flowed out. Would it be like this if undiluted sulfuric acid was poured on a drumstick? It was an extremely vicious attack in which it wouldn't kill the mutant with a single blow but continuously inflicting terrible pain until its death.

"Ugh."

Some of the Espers backed away. The mere sight of the mutant species being melted down by the poison was frowned upon. Taein briefly wondered how they would react if the attack was directed at a person.

Taein withdrew his hands only after confirming that the mutant was completely dead. The leather gloves, which had become a lump of black ash, stuck to the epidermis of the mutant and fell off together. The bare hands exposed under were clean without a single dust or scratch.

There were still small bugs left flying in the area, but the urgent fire was put out for now. Only then did they have time to grasp the situation.

"....."

"....."

The atmosphere between Chan, Taein, and the Espers became infinitely awkward. Both sides tried to feign ignorance of each other.

For the Espers, they were welcomed reinforcements. But at the same time, it was annoying. How come these guys suddenly appeared and gave the final blow while they were dealing with the enemy in a bloody mess? It was no different than hyenas stealing the prey.

Chan and Taein were also equally mean to the other side, not giving any face to the government affiliated Espers. Didn't they just save these guys' asses? What if they took credit for the mutant's death? Isn't it natural for the stronger to take over?

"Hello. This is Major Jeong Changhyeok from Awakening Management Headquarters."

In the end, a person with a higher rank among the Espers stepped up. He looked similar in age to Chan and Taein.

"I'm Joo Taein from Erewhon."

Taein stepped forward instead of Chan, who crossed his arms making a face like he just stepped on shit. However, he did not ask for a handshake or bow his head, only a firm greeting. He didn't have gloves on now, and he certainly didn't want to shake hands with Espers or anyone else.

"Erewhon Deputy Chief. Thank you for your cooperation. However, we did not receive any communication from Erewhon beforehand that you would be participating in this operation."

"....."

"This is troubling. Raids that have already started should not be interfered unless there is a request for support. Isn't there a rule like that? Rather than that, why is an Order like Erewhon in a place like this…"

"Aren't these bastards a pleasure to help."

Chan murmured to himself with a voice filled with sarcasm. Although he was talking to himself, it was loud enough for Taein and Major Jeong Changhyeok to hear. In the first place, every single person here was an Awakened, so no matter how small the voice was, it would have been heard. Taein looked back at him quietly. He just stared at him, but the pressure was greatly felt.

Why, what, what? Did I say anything wrong? Chan smirked and met his gaze head on. The moment Taein opened his mouth to say something, an Esper who was communicating with the other teams behind them shouted.

"Major! They said more mutants appeared again on the other side of the intersection. Not one or two this time!"

As soon as he finished reporting, a swarm of insects flew up from afar. There were so many that they could see it from a long distance away. In addition, several giant mutants also appeared. Bugs that had grouped together likened to a black cloud spread all over in search of prey. Perhaps they sensed the existence of their own kind, they started flying in this direction as well.

It was not the time for a power struggle. Major Jeong Changhyeok looked back at Taein and Chan once, turned his head and shouted.

"Where are the fire users? Still no contact?"

The junior Espers looked at each other with bewildered expressions. Communication was cut off after the message that an Esper with fire ability was sent this way a long time ago. Did he get jumped on by a mutant on his way here?

"Are you looking for this one?"

All of a sudden, a muffled voice rang out. The owner of the voice, however, could not be seen.

"Aaaah!"

A man in the dark red uniform of the Awakening Management Headquarters rushed out from the opposite alley. A swarm of insects followed behind.

"Die! Die!"

He frantically swung his hands and set off the flames. But the insects slipped away by a hair's breadth. There were some that were unfortunately brushed by the flames and fell to the ground, but those were only a few. The swarm split up and down, left and right, spun around like a whirlpool, and followed the Esper while drawing a large S-shape in the air. It was an orderly movement that couldn't be done by regular mutants. It was as if someone was controlling it.

Chan's face darkened. No matter how much he disliked Espers, it was not acceptable to play with people's lives.

"Kwon Heesu, stop it."

"Sheesh."

After that, the insects stopped their strange movements. It then formed a straight line like an awl and rushed towards the flames that the fire user Esper had flared up earlier. Tadak, tak, tak. The charred mutant corpses fell and piled up like a mountain. Heesu jumped down between the buildings and landed swiftly. Smiling brightly even as he faced Chan glaring at him.

"Too bad. I wanted to try playing cards with them, but they lacked intelligence, so complicated instructions didn't work."

"Ha... I can't believe I'm in a team with these guys."

Chan sighed and told him to get out of his sight.

"Hey, Leader?"

Before Heesu could retort, a soft voice was heard in his ear.

- Hello, Team 1. This is your boss and your team leader.

Chan made a face as if he was about to puke.

"Come on."

- We're moving towards the house where Guide Baek Yugeon lived. Send Heesu there. Taein-ssi knows the location of the house.

"No, wait a minute. What do you mean ‘we’? Then the guide is…"

- Of course he's next to me, right?

"Are you both crazy?"

- I told you. I'm going to make him do a lot of field trips from now on.

"And if it gets dangerous!"

- That's why I brought four bodyguards for him, didn't I?

Bodyguard....... Chan gritted his teeth.

There were fewer than ten S-class Awakened in the whole country, but he suddenly became the bodyguard of a guide who came out on a picnic. Catching bugs in this crappy alley.

"Our guide isn't answering either. Shouldn't our puppy follow us around? What if it gets hurt when we are not around? Then I will be so upset......." [4]

Taang! A loud gunshot was heard from the earpiece. Chan frowned and took the piece off from his ear. The sudden loud noise was painful to his extremely sensitive senses.

- Yugeon-ie wants me to shut up.

Anyone could sense the uncontrollable laughter in Shinje's voice, which had come over the radio waves.

"Yugeon hyung is really, euhaha, ahahaha."

Heesu, who heard all this meaningless conversation through their shared earpiece, was also laughing hard while holding onto his stomach. Chan's temper eventually exploded. He yelled and kicked the wall.

"So this bastard's got a temper!"

He then angrily turned off the earpiece. The communication that was flowing into his ear was suddenly cut off. Heesu's laughter rose even higher.

They walked through the residential area that had become a mess. Every building lined up along the street was familiar to him. It was the alley where Heeseong and Yugeon went back and forth countless times, either alone or together. The red neon cross at the top of the church building across the street that had always shone so brilliantly was seen broken. The windows and exterior walls were also a mess.

A huge cocoon was hanging from the roof of the church, relying on the slime drooping from the pointed roof. It wasn't just one or two times the roof was fixed so it was already impressive for the building to withstand that much weight. The cocoon looked like something made from the intestines of an animal woven with a spider's web. It was covered with sticky body fluids and unidentified flesh. It was stretched to the limit, and it seemed as if it was about to break off and fall at any moment. Under the cocoon, low-rise single-family houses were clustered together. It was dangerous at this rate.

"Leader."

Yugeon hurriedly turned around. However, Shinje was not seen. He was walking next to him just a little while ago. But now he was alone in the empty alley. Where did he go? Did something more serious happen somewhere else and he went there to solve it?

He was taken aback for a moment, but soon calmed down. He was used to fighting alone rather than relying on other people. That was how the F-class Hunters he worked with fought before. All of them were equally lacking so they were not in a position to protect anyone. Everyone had to protect their own lives.

The cocoon squirmed loudly. At one rough movement, several bricks fell from the outerwall of the church. Yugeon clenched the gun in his hand. This gun was his only means against the powerful enemy. Tung. Tudung. Tud! The bricks shattered, hitting the roof of another building, the road below and a car. The loud noise must have further stimulated the thing inside the cocoon. It began to writhe around frantically, shaking the cocoon in all directions. The surface of the cocoon gradually cracked.

"Eug...!"

Yugeon ran out of the narrow alley. At the same time, the cocoon popped open. The rotten blood that had filled the inside splattered across several tens of meters in a radius. If he had only been a little late dodging it, he would have been covered in that blood.

Yugeon hid behind a half-collapsed cement wall and examined the movements outside. Hundreds of corpses inside the cocoon were scattered around. They were soaked in blood and looked half-eaten in several places.

A bright light flickered from the side of the main street. It was just the right brightness to think of it as a flashlight or a car headlight. It even vibrated as if a person or a car was really passing by.

Yugeon did not budge from his place, however. He remembered the glowing tail of the mutant from the video Shinje showed him. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't join the corpses scattered over the ground if he went out ahead of time.

He leaned against the wall, tilted the barrel down and opened the chamber. Cheolkeog, cheolkeog, cheolkeog! The heavy, large-caliber bullets he was holding with one hand were sucked in in an instant. It was a speed at which one would miss where and how it was being filled. His gaze was still fixed outside the alley. Since it had been a long time since he had been handling guns, he was able to reload the revolver even while sleeping.

He held his breath and focused all his senses outward. As soon as the mutant approached, he planned to open fire and create a gap so that he could slip away immediately. It was then.

"Hyung."

A faint voice was heard. Yugeon reflexively pointed the gun to its direction and looked around. There was a small supermarket behind him. It was a hole-in-the-wall small shop where the signboard of the super couldn't even be read since it had been left stained and rusted for years. Yugeon also used to shop here from time to time. He had to walk out of the narrow and winding alley to get to a decent franchise convenience store if he wasn't shopping here.

More than half of the roof and ceiling of the already shabby supermarket had collapsed due to the disturbance of the mutant species. It also looked like it was about to collapse whole at any moment. The voice came from within.

"Hyung?"

Behind the foggy glass door with cigarette and lottery sales stickers stuck on it, a child of the age who would not have even entered elementary school stood. It was the son of the owner couple who he had seen a few times when he went grocery shopping. He was fortunately not harmed when the ceiling collapsed probably due to his small stature.

Even now, large insect-type mutants were running rampant outside. A single flap of their wings could smash the window and overturn the sidewalk block. Why was a child alone in a store in such an emergency? Looking around, Yugeon ran straight to it. The door was locked tightly and couldn't be opened. A ‘CLOSED’ sign was hung above the entrance door.

"Why are you here? Your parents?

He made his voice as soft as possible so as not to scare the child. Even then, his blunt way of speaking didn't go anywhere.

"There was a boom! People were yelling and so mom and dad went out there to see it. They told me to wait here."

"They are not here yet?"

"No."

The child dropped his head sullenly. Yugeon looked at the door in a hurry. He couldn't leave this child alone in a building that might collapse at any time.

"But, hyung. What about that other hyung?

"That other hyung?"

There was no key, someone had to unlock it from the inside. However, the lock on the top of the door was high enough that even adults might have to tiptoe and extend their arms. The little kid's height probably wouldn't even go near his waist. He was also afraid that the child would be injured if he shot or smashed the glass.

"Well, you know. That hyung. He's always sick. He's tall and skinny... and he’s always frowning every single day."

The child wriggled his fingertips. Yugeon, who was looking for a way out by pushing and pulling the door around, suddenly stopped. A corner of his heart ached like it was on fire.

"He's sick and is in the hospital."

"The hospital? Grandma is also there. Is that hyung sick too?

"Yes."

"When is he coming back?"

"After sleeping a hundred nights."

"Really?"

"....."

"Hyung?"

"No, actually... I don't know."

Yugeon sat on one knee in front of the door. A rusty hinge could be seen opened by a hair's breadth.

He pulled out the combat knife that was in the holster. He was going to open the door by shoving the knife through the hinge and rip it open.

"Stay back. Or you'll get hurt."

"Okay hyung."

Trapped alone in the store waiting for his parents without any promise, the child was glad to see someone he knew appeared, so he stuck to the doorway and chatted to him constantly. He probably didn't understand what was happening outside right now, so he was naive.

It was probably better not to know. What happened to the parents of the child who said they were going out for a while? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with an optimistic conclusion. The memory of bloody corpses devoured by the giant insect briefly flashed in front of him.

"Is the world going to be ruined?"

Yugeon raised his head, started, pushing the thick blade into the rusty hinge. The child and him, who had sat down on his knees, were at the same eye level. Round innocent eyes met his dark eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"My mom said that. She said the world is going to be ruined. A very, very big monster popped out, and it is going to eat and kill everyone."

The disastrous truth that the Awakening Management Headquarters was trying to keep under wraps was slowly leaking out. Even to ordinary people who knew nothing.

"Then hyung, am I going to die too?"

Yugeon was at a loss for words. A tightly closed door, monsters roaming outside, missing parents. The time and place were different, but it was as if Yugeon was looking at himself. The 10 year old Baek Yugeon, trapped in a wrecked car, trembling. He clenched his teeth and raised his knife. He slammed it down towards the rusty gap in the hinge over and over again, regardless of the injury to his hand.

"No..."

Kwag! Kwag! Kwajig! After several attempts, the hinge broke and the rusty screw bounced out.

"No, you are not going to die."

He pushed the creaking door to the side. He then stretched out his arms towards the child.

"Because I'll save you."

The child wearing light blue shorts with an anime character shirt looked up at Yugeon, walked out and hugged him. He grabbed his small and warm body tightly and stood up.

The very next moment, a giant mutant flew into the super and crashed head on. Kwaang! The shabby supermarket building where the child had been staying until recently was completely demolished. There was dust everywhere, and the shards of concrete splattered. Yugeon frowned and tightened his arms around the child.

"Do you like younger people?"

A black figure walked out of the hazy dust. A youth, who was still in an awkward age between a boy and a man. It was Heesu.

"Leader told me to come here and protect you, so I'm here. I didn't expect you to be distracted."

A black dress shirt and gray suit pants. Erewhon's uniform, when neatly dressed, matched him as if it was painted on. Because of his youthful appearance, he still looked like he was wearing a school uniform or a part-time job uniform rather than a hunting gear. Heesu looked at Yugeon and the child in his arms alternately with a look of incomprehension.

"Am I not young enough? I'm only 20 years old, but it looks like I have to be younger for you. Umm… Yugeon hyung, you don't seem like it, but you have a very naughty taste."

Then he smiled and held out his hand.

"Give me that. If you keep holding it, you'll get blood on you."

Yugeon looked down puzzled. Both him and the child were fine. There were a few small scratches here and there from the debris, but it was not enough to worry about getting blood on.

"I'll try to get rid of it with as little blood as possible. But I think some will still splatter on you hyung."

As soon as he understood Heesu's words, his spine cooled down.

"Are you killing this kid?"

"Who else is there?"

"This is a normal person. Just an ordinary kid who doesn't know anything!"

"Hyung has never hugged me so tenderly before. But now you are hugging a total stranger without a single fuss, I'm jealous."

Heesu turned his face away as if he was sulking.

"What if that kid is an Awakened? Then didn't hyung just break the contract? Guiding another Awakened. Isn't that enough reason to kill him?"

What are you so pressed about a child half the size of you? He looked like a human and spoke human language, but it certainly did not feel like Yugeon was talking to a human being.

"Can't I kill him?"

"You crazy bastard. That's bullshit!"

"Then I'll just mess with his head a little. He might become a vegetable, but it won't be a threat to his life."

"You can't do that either."

Heesu sighed, tilting his head slightly with his lower lip sticking out. He rubbed the back of his head like a habit.

"Hyung."

"....."

"Why do you keep saying no? You're really. It's annoying..."

He got goosebumps running down his spine. Yugeon hugged the child tightly with both arms and glared at Heesu. The standoff continued for some time. Heesu then suddenly changed his expression and smiled as if nothing happened.

"I heard an entire platoon of Flame Espers was dispatched from the center. These guys are working hard this time. They are planning to burn the whole neighborhood down. That way, we can destroy all the eggs and the larvae."

"....."

"You have to hurry to get anything out of hyung's house. Didn't you come here to do that? Things like precious items that contain memories with your family. I saw it on TV. I know everyone has at least one. Don't you have stuff like that?"

Yugeon still remained vigilant. Heesu clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Ah, okay okay. I won't kill him. You won't kill him. Just leave it where you found it, and come with me. I'll help you pack."

The house he and Heeseong lived in was dreary because it was simple. Most of the few household items were only essentials for survival. But among them, there was an item that could be called a precious memory. A family photo that was in Heeseong's wallet when they were rescued from the Hwangan Bridge disaster. The color had now faded and had turned white but it was the only clue that proved that there was a time when Yugeon had lived in an ordinary family loved by his parents. The first thing that came to mind when he heard from Shinje that there was an incident in the neighborhood where he lived was that picture. It was not the clothes or groceries that he had not been able to bring.

"Choose. Will you rescue that one or will you go home one last time?"

Indeed, black smoke was beginning to rise from the direction of Yugeon's house beyond the densely packed buildings. Yugeon looked at the direction of the house once and then the child in his arms. The child was trembling faintly, burying his face in his arms as if he sensed the unusual atmosphere.

"Leaving him here for a while won't be a big deal. Even if anything happened, it won't be hyung's fault. But if the house burns down like that, you will regret it for the rest of your life. What do you want to do?"

"I..."

Yugeon couldn't continue and lowered his gaze. Without raising his head, the child reached out his small hand and desperately grabbed Yugeon's shirt collar. It didn't take long to make a decision. He slowly closed his eyes and opened them. He felt the snap of the thin thread connecting his past and the present broke.

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"I won't go. Set the house on fire or not, let them do whatever they want. There's nothing there to bring."

Heesu closed his mouth with a blank face. He also looked a little bit annoyed. After a moment of precarious silence, he burst into laughter.

"Actually, I thought you would say that. All right, that makes it more fun."

Heesu shrugged his shoulders and casually moved on.

"There is an ambulance on the main street over there. Drop the kid there. Let's go, we don't have time."

Yugeon did not budge from his position, however. Rather than moving along with Heesu, he fixed the child with one arm and raised the revolver to aim. Exactly towards Heesu.

Taang! The sound of gunfire rang out in the quiet alley. The bullet grazed right next to his face. Heesu turned around without a look of surprise. A bug the size of a chestnut was stuck on the floor, flapping its wings pitifully.

It was not that surprising, from an Awakened standard. The mutant was at the lowest level that even an F-class could deal with. However, it was a different story if a guide shot it down with only one arm while holding a small child.

"Wow."

Heesu admired in a low voice.

"I really like you hyung. More so than ever. It makes me wonder how Leader knew about you and picked you up. Had I known earlier, I would have brought you in first."

He leisurely walked out the alley, passing Yugeon. Then, he whispered softly in Yugeon's ear. Wholeheartedly, in an innocent tone like a child wishing on a shooting star.

"Later, hyung… I wish you would kill yourself in front of me."

Yugeon flinched for a moment. But that was the end of the nursery rhyme-like voice. He plodded out with the child in his arms. Spine chilling loud sirens were heard blaring outside of the narrow alley.

In front of the alley, police cars, ambulances, and emergency dispatch vehicles from the Awakening Management Headquarters were parked. Police lines and barricades were put up to block entry. The red and blue lights from the warning lights hurt his eyes.

Flames rose one by one in the alley where old and small buildings were huddled. It seemed that the flame Espers had begun the operation. In front of them, a middle-aged couple with their messy hair and feet bare of shoes were pacing back and forth near the police lines. They were busy sneaking around desperately in the alley not even paying attention to their messed up appearance. They exclaimed at the sight of the child in Yugeon's arms.

"Oh, our baby. My son."

The woman snatched the child away from Yugeon. She then immediately burst into tears after holding her son in her arms. She was worried to death about her child, even forgetting to cry until now. She didn't seem to recognize that Yugeon was a customer who had visited their store a few times.

"I'm sorry. Mom and dad are sorry...... We couldn't protect you. Euheug, eung......"

His arms that were hugging a small, warm body until a while ago were quickly emptied. After watching the teary reunion of the small family for a while, Yugeon turned around without any regrets. He didn't hear a word of thanks, but that was it.

"Guide Baek Yugeon?"

He raised his head at the sound of his name being called. When he did, Taein was standing right in front looking down at him. With a frown on his face as if he had seen something filthy.

Normally, Yugeon would have treated him with a lot of nerves. If there was a person who hated him for no reason, his personality was to give them more reasons to hate rather than to be intimidated. But now, strangely, he didn't feel like it. His mind was blank. Was it because he witnessed the happy ending that he could not reach, where parents and children reunited safely alive?

"Wait."

He grabbed Yugeon by the shoulder and pulled him closer. He said it was disgusting to touch Yugeon with his bare hands, and after that, he had thoroughly worn gloves, but today, for some reason, his hands were free of gloves. Taein grabbed Yugeon with one hand and searched the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a handkerchief. The handkerchief was also a simple brown color without any pattern to suit his taste. Only a small gold embroidery in the shape of a brand logo could be seen.

"....."

The handkerchief covered his face and obscured his view. Yugeon flinched back but his shoulders were gripped tight. Either way, Taein rubbed Yugeon's face roughly. There were no complaints at the ruthless touch. Only after rubbing his skin as if to peel it off, he let Yugeon go. The handkerchief was stained with dust and soot. Since he just came out of the collapsed and burning alley, he seemed to have some soot on him.

"If you're wearing the uniform and the badge, how about keeping a minimum of dignity?"

Taein held the handkerchief with his index and middle fingers and threw it into the trash can next to him. Yugeon rubbed his red-hot cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Did I have any dignity? I didn't know."

"At least it's better than a guide walking around like a stray dog rolling in the mud."

"Who was it that picked up that stray dog by hand? Even feeding it with a syringe."

Hostility was evident in every word they exchanged casually. Taein's eyes frowned. Still have no manners even after being scolded like that, those bad habits… that will have to be disciplined again sooner or later.

A large black cougar, which had been moving around aimlessly over the collapsed buildings, jumped out of nowhere. Several people gathered near the police line were startled. As soon as he landed, Chan, who had already returned to his human form, shrugged his shoulders and approached them with a thud.

"Teaching that punk manners? Why don't you teach Kwon Heesu ethics instead? That would be faster."

The person who was second to none in lacking dignity butted in shamelessly. Taein turned around with an expression that he no longer felt the whole thing was worth dealing with. Heesu interjected brightly from the side.

"Chan hyung, I got a perfect score in ethics when I took the GED."

"It looks like there are serious flaws in our public education system. They couldn't filter out a psycho like that."

"From what I heard from Leader, hyung's grades were terrible. Especially literature.... He told me you were just slightly better than an illiterate."

"What? Was that bastard talking like that?"

"Hyung, how the hell are you running missions with that intelligence? Do you even understand the operation instructions? Did your brain also turn into an animal when you Awakened?"

"You're stepping on my toes a lot these days."

"I'm just curious. Just curious."

"Woo Shinje and I took the test together when we were at the center. They said if you can read official documents carefully and know the military law properly, they won't care about literary scores...... ah."

After talking casually, Chan quickly glanced back at Yugeon although he felt it was already a bit too late for that. But soon he changed his mind. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway. It was no secret that he and Shinje once belonged to the Awakening Management Headquarters. If you snooped around a little on the internet, anyone could find articles and photos from those days. Shinje particularly didn't even try to hide it, openly saying things like, ‘I've long since ceased to be part of their organization.’ That jerk was something else.

Yugeon was also looking elsewhere with a calm look on his face as if he didn't hear a single thing. Earlier, his ears were stung by Yugeon's loud gunshot, and now he’s acting like he had done nothing wrong.

"Hey, guide."

Yugeon turned to look up at him. The button on the top of his shirt was loose, and an unfamiliar necklace could be seen. What is this? Chan's dark eyes narrowed. He immediately reached out for the silver string. When he saw a small chip was attached to it, he pulled it roughly with force.

"Ugh!"

Yugeon staggered and was dragged along. Chan turned his head and bit the soft looking nape that was exposed above the collar of his shirt. Sharp fangs sinked in his pale skin. The fragrant smell of flesh spread in his mouth. The unlucky guide had a soft, soapy scent.

"Ah, uh......."

The canines were released slightly. Blood spurted from the place where the flesh was punctured. Chan pressed his lips to the nape again and greedily licked the blood. Yugeon kicked him hard in the shin. He did not even budge. Rather, Yugeon's feet were tingling. Was this what it feels like to kick a metal pole?

Chan raised his head. Well-shaped lips glistened with blood and saliva. Looking at Yugeon's eyes as if he was about to gobble him up, he grabbed his hair and tilted his head back.

"What are you doing...... Eug!"

"What are you talking about? Isn't this why you are here? To take turns giving us your body."

Panting, Yugeon reflexively threw a fist. His wrist was immediately grabbed. The flesh turned white from a grip that could have easily broken his entire arm. Chan smirked as he ran the tip of tongue across his blood-soaked lower lip.

"Haven't you done almost everything with the other bastards? But not me, right? Damn it, let me eat some too. Hmm? Your guiding, I'm also curious how good yours is that you are being so expensive."

As soon as he finished speaking, their lips met. It felt like being eaten whole by a giant beast. With every twist and turn of his tongue, his fangs, sharper than those of a human, scratched the flesh of his mouth. With every sharp inhale and exhale, the smell of blood gradually mixed.

While staring at Chan with eyes wet with anger and astonishment, Yugeon inadvertently rolled his eyes to the side. Neither Taein nor Heesu were paying any attention to them. They would glance at the loud noises from the side every once in a while, but that was all. Taein was in a serious conversation with an Esper from the Awakening Management Headquarters, and Heesu looked bored, leaning against a car and fiddling with his phone. As if it was something that happened all the time.

"....."

The whole situation was giving him goosebumps. Yugeon's body gradually began to tremble as Chan grabbed him still, giving him a violent kiss. A reaction came from an unexpected place. In Yugeon's eyes, which had been blurred and swaying aimlessly, the image of the couple holding their child and looking at them was reflected.

The disheveled couple was looking this way, their mouths dropped wide open. Their faces were contorted as if they had seen something they shouldn't have. The woman quickly raised her hand to cover the child's eyes. The man then quickly turned his back to hold the child in his arms. The inside of Yugeon's pit of the stomach froze cold.

After poking through Yugeon's mouth as much as possible, Chan satisfactorily swallowed the fishy liquid that had pooled over his tongue. The bulging neck ridge went up and down. Then he let go of the Yugeon, pushing him away.

"Cough, cough, cough, haa......."

Finally, the hand that was gripping his wrist tight fell off. Now was the time to punch Chan. But the will to do so had disappeared. Yugeon covered his mouth with his wrist, a red handprint clearly seen on his fair skin. He took a deep breath with his head lowered. Pupils were blown wide open from the shock. He kept his eyes to the ground unable to lift his face. He then eventually closed his eyes, eyelashes trembling.

And over his darkened vision, a hand cladded in leather gloves gently covered his eyes.

"...sleepers awake, the voices call us." [5]

A gentle playful voice, that sounded like reading a play script intentionally exaggeratedly, was heard from his back.

"Open your eyes, from the watchmen high up in the tower..."

Muttering as if singing, Shinje tilted his head without taking off his hand that was covering Yugeon's eyes. Soft lips touched Yugeon's forehead.

"This is ‘You did a great job’ kiss. I was supposed to give it to you yesterday."

And one more time.

"This is the reward for fighting well today."

"....."

"Now there is only one left. Yes?"

His hand fell off, leaving only a feathery whisper. The first thing Yugeon saw when he opened his eyes was Shinje’s back, who had already turned around.

"Now, everyone. Attention for a second?"

Shinje clapped his hands. Disappeared without any notice, he looked perfectly calm as if it had never happened. Although it was not a very loud sound, Taein, Chan, and Heesu looked at this side all at once. There was something like a rolled up paper in Shinje's hand.

"I found something interesting, and I want to hear your opinions."

He opened the paper with both hands and showed it to everyone, even kindly turning it around slightly. The large painting was divided into two, and the shape of a monster was drawn on both left and right sides. The sky and the sea. The background was different, but the monsters in the two paintings resembled each other. It was believable that it was the same species, or even the same individual.

"What do you think?"

"Wow, that looks like a piece of shit."

Chan was the first to throw a comment.

"I think it look like a mutation from a toad and an octopus having sex, then repeated 100 million times, and then rotted in the poop for about 10 million years."

Heesu raised his hand and answered. It was a clear voice like a child giving a presentation in science class. Though the content of the words was not childlike at all.

"Is that Almuten? I've never seen it in person, so I don't know."

Taein sighed and asked. It was the most common-sense answer. Shinje turned his head.

"What do you think, Guide Baek Yugeon?"

Everyone's eyes turned to him. Yugeon couldn't answer immediately. The more he looked at the painting, the more he choked and his heart pounded anxiously. He couldn't, however, take his eyes off the monster in the picture. Was this strange feeling fear or hatred?

"I... I…"

Unable to finish his sentence, Yugeon clenched his teeth. What in front of him was the culprit behind everything. That killed his parents and drove his brother mad, and now it was after him. There was no way that he could easily spit out light appreciations like the others.

The silence between them stretched out for a few minutes. Yugeon's chin, which was tightly shut, trembled. Then at one point, Shinje smiled brightly.

"They don't look very much alike, do they? I think the person who drew it wasn't very good."

He spoke softly and tore the paper in half.

"......It barely resembles."

The paper torn in half was then overlapped and torn again. And again, and again. What was once a painting quickly became an unrecognizable piece of trash. The pieces of paper were randomly thrown into the trash can where Taein had thrown out his handkerchief.

Erewhon's Hunters, including Yugeon, watched the burning city with their arms folded. The Espers and rescued citizens also held their respective positions. The bright red flames were reflected in their eyes.

The flames started by burning down a house or two soon spread throughout the entire block. The only remaining traces of his childhood, where Yugeon had lived fiercely, disappeared into ashes. As he watched the crowded achromatic buildings burn, Yugeon suddenly had a thought. That if the entire land was a bomb that might explode at any time, this flame would be the fuse.

Whether there was salvation or destruction at the End… no one will ever know.

[1] ‘Great Words, True Truth’ sect ‘큰말씀참된진리교’.

[2] ‘Great Words’ sect ‘큰말씀교’, ‘Great Words, Widespread Love’ sect ‘큰말씀널리사랑교’. 

[3] ‘loyalty?’ ‘충성!’ as in soldiers greeting their superiors, like saying ‘salute’. But chan was mocking the espers here.

[4] the whole dialogue is a slang and since I don’t know how to translate/localize it into english, I made up something shinje would say? 

[5] Bach, Cantata No. 140, 1731. 

⤷ The original annotation from the ebook. 

translator note: welcome back! I will be sticking to 15th and 30th of every month schedule starting from vol 2!