chapter two

The morning dawned. The hazy sunlight streamed down the exterior walls of the skyscrapers. The sky of this country had long been eroded by fine dust. The clear blue skies and fluffy, floating cumulus clouds had become relics of a bygone era, seen only in photographs and video footage.

The Outbreak destroyed many existing infrastructure and industries. However, that was also when new industries sprung up in their place. Factories that processed the by-products of mutant species to make new materials, factories that manufactured specialized weapons and protective equipment boomed. Buildings and facilities were crammed into a small space, leaving no room to spare. There was no room for concerns about environmental conservation in the situation where mankind was about to perish. Uninhabited lands were abandoned and turned into jungles, while inhabited lands became asphalt forests.

The man held up a steaming cup of coffee as he watched the stark construct of the gray metropolis and the green outskirts of the city. He leaned back languidly on a sofa made of the finest leather, his legs crossed.

The sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows painted the side of his face. A stylishly dressed man enjoying a coffee in a penthouse in the center of the city. It was a scene straight out of an elaborately photographed fashion spread in a men's magazine. 

The door behind him swung open. The tranquil atmosphere was immediately shattered.

"Woo Shinje!"

The man, Woo Shinje, tilted his head and glanced back. His ash gray hair was scattered against the back of the sofa. He responded calmly, not at all surprised by the appearance of the uninvited guest.

"Good morning."

"Good morning? It's a shitty as fuck morning."

A tall man strode in through the open door, his short cropped hair, tanned skin, and harshly distorted features making him look menacing.

"What's your problem? What happened back there?"

Shinje waved his question away and gracefully nodded towards the espresso machine.

"What about it? Chan-ah, care for a morning coffee?

"No thanks! What happened to the guy who was literally dying before he left because he couldn't get a guide? What actually happened to you? That you looked... fine?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"This bastard."

Chan looked like he was going to die, feeling his blood pressure rise high. He was one of the most emotional and expressive of the S-classes — easy to anger, excitement and laughter. It was rather human.

"You said you were going to find Almuten, but all you got was guiding? From whom? You've never had more than a 2% fit rate with anyone."

"Well, that's... "

Shinje crossed his arms, leaned back, and sank into the couch, pondering in a leisurely manner, slowly blinking his eyelashes that looked silvery white under the sun. Chan waited for his answer, feeling like a thousand fires burning within him Finally, Shinje opened his mouth.

"It's a secret."

"If I die tomorrow, I'll come break your neck as a ghost."

"I was wondering where the smell of a mop was coming from. It's from your mouth, isn't it?"

"How did I end up working for this guy?"

Chan gnashed his teeth. A blood clot stood out on his forehead. Although he was always determined to never let himself be swayed by that bastard again and again, he couldn't stop his face from crumpling whenever he faced Shinje.

The first time he met Shinje was in his teens, so it'd been well over a decade and approaching 20 years. They had come too far to simply call the bastard a bad friend. The bastard was now an abominable boss and a mortal enemy.

"Don't get too hot-headed. You'll blow a blood vessel in your brain."

"What?"

"Hunter Yoon Chan, you should get your blood pressure checked and your brain examined soon. I'll make sure the budget covers the cost, but a guide won't be able to fix your brain."

"Go check it out yourself, you fucking lunatic."

Shinje neatly ignored him, and picked up his coffee cup again to take a sip. While Chan was still grumbling, one more person came in through the open door.

"I'm just here to check on you.... And I wanted to see Chan hyung get dunked on. I asked Taein hyung to come too, but he refused. He said he didn't want to see that shit."

A man who looked like he just turned twenty, more suited to be called a boy rather than a man confessed innocently. Chan wrinkled his forehead again, frustrated.

"You all are bastards."

"Leader, will you bring him here? That guide..."

"Hey, Kwon Heesu."

Shinje, who was the person concerned, did not react much, but Chan meddled in with a strict tone. Heesu immediately responded with an innocent face.

"Delicious food should be shared with family and friends. It's not fair that Leader gets to have it all to yourself."

"No. How do we know if that guide is a good fit for us?"

"We don't know, that's why I said let's bring them in first. Even if he's not a good fit for us, Leader will still receive guiding, so that's a good thing, right?"

"I asked you to hire a rental guide or borrow someone else's, not an exclusive one."

"How was the guiding?"

"I don't know how great the guiding is, but we have two S-classes and two A-classes here, and all without partners. I can already see them trying to boss us around like they can do anything."

The number of guides was small and there were too many Awakened people who needed guiding, so this was often the case. There were many guides who treated the Awakened people's obsession and desperation towards them as trophies, and enjoyed the sense of superiority while using skinship as a weapon. A whole Hunting Order had collapsed before because of one such person.

It could become worse, if they were in charge of the high ranking Awakened people like S-classes or A-classes. It was disillusioning to see someone who was lucky enough to be partnered with an S-class Awakened acting like they themselves became one. Well, the guides might think otherwise, but it was at least from Chan's point of view as a Hunter. 

Unlike the Awakened, the guides did not have a ranking system. This was because the guiding compatibility value called ‘fit rate’ varied widely depending on the person. Even if one guide was guiding two Awakened of the same rank, they could have a 0% fit rate with one and a 100% fit rate with the other. A guide who was not compatible with an F-class Awakened could be a perfect match for an A-class. Of course, it was the most extreme example in theory, but in reality, there were statistics that rank and fit rate were inversely proportional in general.

"What if the guide is not interested in that kind of thing? He can just work as it is..."

"Fuck, that's even worse. What sane person would walk in here with their own feet and think the whole thing is not crazy? Would they even be able to stay sane? Don't you remember how the guide last time went crazy and left within a month?"

"The sweetness ran out too quickly. They couldn't even stay sober while I was playing with them. And it was only for a few hours a day. I was even considerate of the people behind me and cleaned up nice and neat."

Heesu sat on an empty sofa and grinned like a boy. The disparity between his youthful face and his words were staggering. Unlike other Awakened, who were born and lived as ordinary people, and whose abilities manifested in childhood at the earliest or adolescence at the latest in most cases, Heesu was born an Awakened. His mother and the obstetrician who delivered him were the first victims of his ability.

A rare psychic ability, an A-class even at that. He was labeled as a threat even before an ego could be formed. No one dared to talk to the infant that everyone was extremely terrified of. Morality, conscience, and law became of little significance to him, while he knew he could kill a person as easy as smashing a bug with just one finger. As he grew up, he learned that there were Awakened people stronger than him, so he entered a Hunting Order and became socialized.

Whenever Chan saw Heesu, he often thought of Shinje from his childhood. Although their personalities were very different, the two were similar in some ways. They both were born with excessively violent and powerful abilities, which made them both unable to understand humans at all, but curious about them at the same time.

"This is Erewhon. There's a ton of people lined up to be hired, even for a day job. But you want to parachute in a no-name guide? Then what is even a system for? Why bother making the rules?"

"The system, who decides that?"

Shinje, who had only been listening to the exchange with a habitual smile on his face, responded. The air around him turned cold in an instant.

"I really need him. System? Rules and regulations? If something like that becomes an obstacle, I will just rip them apart and bring him in."

"The others....."

"If there's anyone who's protesting, bring them here. I wonder if they can say the same thing in front of me."

"Forget about that. How are you going to convince that guide? You want to be honest? There are four crazy guys here who are on the brink of rampage if they can't receive the guiding, so you're gonna have to suffer to death while you sleep with them? I'm 100% sure they will love that very much."

"....."

Shinje still had a smile on his face, but his brows had furrowed slightly. It was a sign to stop. Chan involuntarily shut his mouth. Though he might look pure and noble on the outside, Shinje was more devious than anyone else in this room. Chan could get away with spewing harsh words at him all day because they'd known each other since childhood, but the moment he crossed the line, there was no guarantee of safety. 

"I'll bring him soon. I can't let something like that just roll around anywhere. If I can get what I want from him, I don't care if you guys share him or not."

"What's the plan?"

"I'm going to propose. I have to look as pretty as possible."

He clasped his hands under his chin, tilted his head slightly, and smiled. It was still morning, so his hair, which hadn't yet been set, was flowing naturally. It was an overly dainty gesture for a man who was more likely to see him wearing a three-piece suit than a T-shirt, jewelry and velvet than a gun. However, his facial features were literally like a flower, so it didn't look too ridiculous or ugly.

"What do you think?"

"I fucking hate it."

Chan immediately raised his middle finger. Whether he liked it or not, Shinje closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, muttering happily.

"Should I prepare flowers and a ring? Ah, I'm excited."

Yugeon opened his eyes. He sat up abruptly without even thinking about where he was. The thin blanket on him rustled. Throbbing pain shot through his whole body. This wasn't a bleak street lined with abandoned factories. It was a quiet room with fluorescent lights on. The walls and floors were ivory with no pattern. And across from him was⏤

"Hyung..."

He murmured with a moan. He reached out his hand, unaware that the IV line in his hand was being pulled. Someone stopped Yugeon from behind.

"Stay still."

Yugeon still tried to get up recklessly without even acknowledging the presence of others in the room. Heeseong was lying on the bed just a few meters away, bandages all over his body and needled with fluids, and unlike Yugeon, who was relatively healthy, Heeseong looked miserable. Heeseong was covered with bandages and gauze from head to toe, so he couldn't even see his face properly. Numerous wires from medical equipment were also connected to his body. A thin line drew a pulse on the monitor, the only indication that Heeseong was still alive.

"I'm that person's guide. I'm going to treat him now."

"No, you can't. Please step back."

"My brother is in pain isn't he? Without me, he..... Please let me go. I said let go!"

Yugeon's voice, never one to lose its composure, cracked at the edges. His last memory was of lying unconscious next to his brother, who had gone on a rampage and left for dead. There was no way he could keep his composure.

"Baek Heeseong is in a very bad condition right now. Even if you were to guide him, it would be just pointless if you are only going to hold his hand or hug him over his clothes."

"It's pointless?"

Yugeon stared unfocused for a moment, then fumbled with the buttons on the hospital clothes he was wearing, his fingers trembling pitifully.

"I'll do it. I'll do something else. I, I can do it, so my brother...."

"Patient! Please, you mustn't..."

The nurse standing at Yugeon's side tried to hold him back. The other person in the room finally opened their mouth at that moment.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

The voice was too stern and unfriendly for a patient who had just woken up from a coma. A stranger stood by the window of the hospital room, impeccably dressed in a dark red uniform.

"I'm Major Jeong Changhyeok, a C-class Esper."

He introduced himself in a businesslike tone. Yugeon's lost gaze fell on the badge hanging on his chest. Two hands clasped together in a circle, a flame burning in the center. It was the symbol of the Awakening Management Headquarters. He looked quite young for the rank of a Major. It was in fact a normal thing. There was no correlation between rank and seniority in the center. If your awakening class was low, it could easily be said it was the end for your career even if you had been serving for decades, and if the class was high, even a minor could become a commander.

"Baek Heeseong, an F-class Hunter. Is that your older brother?"

"Yes."

"And you participated in the gate attack yesterday as the guide in charge of Hunter Baek Heeseong?"

".....Yes."

"Hunter Baek Heeseong has been identified as a suspect in the accident and is currently under investigation. We would like to ask you to cooperate with the investigation as a witness. Please note that, depending on the circumstances, you, Baek Yugeon, may also become one of the suspects."

It was a story that didn't sound realistic in the slightest, a lightning bolt out of the blue.

"What are you….."

His eyes went to Heeseong. A faint vapor rose and fell on the inside of the respirator, which covered more than half of his face. He looked like a victim, not a suspect.

"Hunter Baek Heeseong, you and 23 other Hunters set out to attack the gate that was discovered in a closed industrial complex in Seonram-dong around 11 p.m yesterday. And as of now, only five survivors have been identified. But they're all either partially dismembered or unconscious."

Horrible memories came flooding back. People howling in terror and running away, blood and flesh splattering everywhere. A terrible chill ran through his body even though he was in a warm hospital room.

"The gate was classified as small to medium-sized in our preliminary investigation. Most of the participants were F- to E-classes, but with the number of people involved, it should have been manageable. Even if you were unlucky, it would have only resulted in a few wounded Hunters. But for it to escalate to this extent."

"What are you trying to say?"

Major Jeong Changhyeok cut to the chase with an unmoved, grim expression.

"Our Awakening Management Headquarters suspects that Hunter Baek Heeseong may have intentionally caused a rampage."

His body moved first before the brain could digest the information. Rattle! His shin hit the edge of the metal bed. Yugeon jumped up to his feet, not even recognizing that the IV needle in the back of his hand was coming out. 

"There are rare cases where Awakened deliberately go on a rampage and carry out suicidal terrorist attacks all out of sheer resentment against society or people around them."

"My brother is not the type to do that kind of thing!"

"Hunter Baek Heeseong was mentally disturbed and was being constantly ignored and bullied by the Hunters around him. We have also received testimonies of him frequently saying things along the gist of ‘I'm going to kill all the people who bullied me’."

Heeseong had definitely said that. But it was all talk. He always was. He would spill all kinds of harsh words to Yugeon in a fit of nerves, only to apologize shortly afterward. Last night would have been no different. Words thrown out of a moment's rage, faced with unfriendly fellow Hunters, and exhausted from back-to-back missions, nothing more, nothing less.

Heeseong was not bold enough to put his words into action. He was afraid of hurting others as he was of hurting himself. The fact that he'd been a Hunter for over a decade and was still reluctant to kill a mutant was a testament to that. How could such a weak-willed person commit suicide terrorism?

"Rampage symptoms usually occur when a person's mind and body are pushed to the limit due to lack of guiding for a long time. However, Hunter Baek Heeseong caused a rampage despite having a dedicated guide by his side at all times."

"....."

"Did you sympathize with Hunter Baek Heeseong and deliberately let him go on a rampage without guiding him?"

"Are you saying I purposely risk my brother's life for that? My only family?"

Yugeon's lower lip quivered as he asked in disbelief.

"Do you have any other explanations that will make sense?"

"A mutant of a type I've never seen before at any gates appeared. It was too gigantic and powerful, that just looking at it could cause insanity. I'm sure it had an effect on my brother."

"The Espers scoured the scene all night long. There were no traces of any other mutants other than the insect-type low level mutant, commonly referred to as ‘mantis’."

"It was only there for a split second. But it was big enough to cover the entire sky. Someone must have seen it."

"None of the survivors made such a statement. Everyone's been testifying consistently. They said it was some time after the gate opened, thinking it was strange because there was no sign of mutants attacking when Hunter Baek Heeseong made a loud noise, so they all went to check if all the mutants were flocking there. It was then he came out of nowhere and charged at them."

"No, that can't be right. There's no way they could have missed a mutant that big..... Ah, there was..... Actually, there is one more witness besides me and my brother."

"Who are you referring to?"

"....."

At that time, there was an S-class Hunter at the scene. A spine-chillingly beautiful man who smelled like fresh flowers and rotten blood at the same time. He appeared in the middle of the ruins like a shooting star passing through the night sky, and then left abruptly, leaving behind nothing but nonsensical words and violent kisses. Yugeon didn't even know that man's name. The encounter with him itself made him wonder if it had been a dream he'd had while unconscious. He doubted the other person would believe him even if he told him.

"Guide Baek Yugeon. I understand your desire to cover for Hunter Baek Heeseong. But I request you to stop making groundless false statements. Because the more you do, the more convinced we are in the hypothesis that you are also an accomplice."

Yugeon said no more and dropped his shaky gaze to the floor. An unstable breath leaked out. He gritted his teeth and nervously ran a hand through his messy black hair.

Major Jeong Changhyeok silently glanced over at him. His gaze was drawn to the thin scar above his eyes. A trickle of blood had spurted out from the spot where the ringer needle had been pulled out and ran down his wrist.

The patient in front of him looked quite young. On paper and in reality, according to a preliminary investigation before coming here, Baek Heeseong's current resident registration age was twenty-nine, and Baek Yugeon was twenty-three. If the Outbreak hadn't happened, or if he hadn't awakened as a guide, he'd be a normal college student by now.

In person, Baek Yugeon in front of him was tall and athletic, albeit a bit thin. However, he hadn't quite reached his full manhood yet. His expression was stern, his eyes hardened from countless battles, but there were still hints of boyishness here and there. He looked even more pitiful because of the baggy patient's clothes and was covered with wounds.

Major Jeong Changhyeok sighed to himself. Mentally preparing himself for when Baek Yugeon might cry, curse, or lash out in anger, and flung himself around, unable to suppress his bitterness. The people he had met so far while investigating the Awakened-related crimes, especially young boys of Yugeon's age, had often reacted violently to the shocking news.

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

Major Jeong Changhyeok called him again. But unlike before, the tone was now different, and had softened noticeably. Like coaxing and appeasing a fussy child. Yugeon still kept his confused gaze downward.

"I heard you and Hunter Baek Heeseong were the only survivors of the Hwangan Bridge disaster 13 years ago. Is that correct?"

Yugeon's shoulders flinched for a brief moment. Major Jung Changhyeok's gut instinct flashed beneath his expressionless face. He'd hit the nail on the head. 

"That incident became a big deal because we couldn't find a single clue even though so many people died. So, I was wondering if you are still traumatized by it, and are having hallucinations. ‘I'm seeing a monster that no one else could see, and it is driving me crazy’."

"....."

"That's understandable, I get it. The world that made you so unhappy seems so hateful, you want to get back at it somehow."

Even after hearing that, Yugeon remained quiet. His shoulders slumped. Major Jeong Changhyeok watched him. Will he explode in anger or will he burst into tears?

Yugeon then looked up and met his eyes. He was smiling. His cold eyes had curved into crescents, the image of a fierce, wild wolf with blades in his eyes was instantly transformed into that of a gentle meek dog.

"This case is already concluded."

But the words that came out of his mouth were sharp as razor blades, far from gentle.

"I think you've already sketched it out before you came here, haven't you, Major?"

"....."

"Don't make false statements? Then what do you think the truth is? Were you even willing to listen to anything I had to say?"

Major Jeong Changhyeok couldn't help, but chuckle to himself. It was so different from the impression of Baek Yugeon he knew from the papers, which consisted only of the statements he had heard from people around him. Those who knew him spoke in unison. ‘He is a bit blunt and dull, but he's always sincere, cares about his brother to the point of being foolish, and has a bit of a naive side to him, maybe because he's still young’. But they were completely untrue.

Major Jeong Changhyeok left the room, leaving only the words that he would decide on their disposition as the investigation progressed. The moment the hospital room door slid open, Yugeon saw them through the gap. Those in dark red uniforms standing guard outside.

Yugeon realized it then. This was a hospital room, but they were not at a hospital. It was a prison, a temporary holding cell for the suspects, no, the criminals until they have recovered to some extent.

Yugeon was soon separated from Heeseong and placed in a separate hospital room. The reason they gave him was that Heeseong's condition was unpredictable, but the real reason was something else. This was because Yugeon's position as a witness in the investigation had been upgraded from that of a preliminary suspect to a possible accomplice. They must be worried about what Yugeon and Heeseong might do if the brothers were locked in a room together. 

As time went on, the situation got worse. More Espers were sent to the scene to search for the traces of the ‘unknown mutant species’ according to Yugeon's testimony, but they had come up empty-handed.

Rather than clinging to unrealistic hypotheses, it became more comfortable for them to conclude the accident as Heeseong and Yugeon's joint crime. The two brothers who lost their parents in a horrific childhood accident and grew up in poverty while being mistreated by their peers, and with the hatred that sprouted from their hearts let them commit a suicide attack disguised as an Awakened's rampage. What a neat picture it was. Dozens of phrases have already come to mind to use at the press conference.

Restraints had been placed on Heeseong's hands and feets even as he lay unconscious and on a respirator. The reason was that they had no way to know when he would go on a rampage again. Even though he was only an F-class, and in coma, he was still an Awakened, so they never let their guard down. 

The same was true for Yugeon, who woke up with one handcuff attached to the corner of his bed. The chains attached to the cuffs were long enough to allow him to move around the room and go to the bathroom, but not out the door. Even if he did, he would be immediately confronted by the Espers guarding the room. 

It was dark in the unlit hospital room. Yugeon couldn't tell if it was day or night. He sat curled up on the bed with his handcuffed hand hanging down. He pulled his knees up and buried his head in his lap. The long chains clanked.

He thought and thought and thought. Now, what is going to happen to him and Heeseong? Will Heeseong ever be able to regain consciousness? Will he be able to live like a normal human being even if he did?

Yugeon had never dreamed of something like this happening to his brother. They were barely making a living in the outskirts of the city. He had no idea how to clear their names of the ridiculous accusations that had been placed on them.

He must have drifted off to sleep before he realized it. In his shallow sleep, Yugeon wandered through reality-like nightmares and nightmare-like realities. The first thing he saw when he woke up was a man sitting in a chair in the corner of the hospital room, staring at him in the darkness.

Goosebumps ran down his spine. His whole body stiffened, and no sound came out. Since when had he been here? He didn't notice it at all. But there was a more urgent question. This hospital room door was supposed to be guarded 24 hours a day by the Espers from the center, so how the hell did that man get in?

"Did you sleep well?"

The man smiled as he watched Yugeon, with his legs crossed and his head tilted at an angle. He then muttered to himself.

"Funny. I wanted to soothe you when you were bleeding out pinned under me..... but now that I see you sleeping so soundly, I want to ruin it."

He could only see his silhouette in the hazy darkness. It was quite different from when they first met on the street lined with abandoned factories. His hair was now neatly brushed slicked back, dressed in a suit impeccably pressed. His overcoat was held by one arm. Black sleeve garters cinched tightly around his forearms, which were wrapped in a well-cut light gray shirt. 

The red and blue bruises that had dyed his white skin had disappeared. Memories of violent guiding, as if eaten to the bones by this person, flashed through his mind. Something hot inside Yugeon swelled up, and then it went cold immediately right away. There were so many things he wanted to ask. But only one question came out of his mouth.

"Who are you?"

"Have you forgotten already? I thought we had a good time together, back then."

Yugeon remained silent, his face stony. The expression on his face was as if he was wondering what the hell was wrong with this man.

"We made out so passionately under that beautiful dark sky. I couldn't forget you, so here I am."

"Just answer the question."

He'd thrown in a joke to lighten up the mood in the room, but Yugeon did not follow, but instead got even more aggressive. Shinje, who was trying to act cute, stifled a laugh.

"How did you get in here?"

"How did I get in? I walked in with my own foot."

"What about the Espers outside?"

"No one was there?"

"That can't be true. They've been ordered to guard the door 24 hours a day."

"Really? The Espers' service here is pretty shitty then. It's really a big deal....."

Shinje shook his head without even batting an eye. If anyone who knew him well saw it, it was a sight to shudder with disgust.

"Do you like my gift?"

He pointed somewhere with his chin. When Yugeon turned his head, he saw a large bouquet of flowers next to the pillow. The colorful blooms were half-submerged in darkness. It was neither a flower basket nor a vase, but a bouquet. It was quite an odd choice for a hospital visit.

The scene in which the man in front of him breaking through the strict security and entering the room with ease, then leaning over sleeping Yugeon and placing the bouquet down was pictured in his mind. If he had decided to do something else, Yugeon would have died instantly without even noticing that he was dying. It was a terrifying thought.

"I don't know what kind of flowers you like, so I bought a little bit of each type."

"....."

"You don't like flowers, by any chance?"

"I told you to identify yourself first."

"Do you know that you've been too cold to me since a while ago?"

Shinje sighed and pulled something out. Yugeon flinched. He wondered if it was a weapon. But he quickly changed his mind. There was no reason for an S-class to carry a gun or a knife.

The man took a business card out of a rectangular case and handed it to him. It was such a common-sense behavior that it was rather strange. As common as a killer showing his ID and introducing himself before killing someone. Yugeon hesitantly took the card. The letters were faintly visible in the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Erewhon?"

Yugeon murmured, his face expressionless. Shinje watched him quietly, not expecting him to know the meaning of the name.

"Leader..... Woo Shinje."

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

He was merely repeating the name on the business card, but Shinje sang Yugeon's name as if in tune.  Even though he has been called countless times in his life, his name in the man's laid-back voice came to him like an unfamiliar sound.

How he knew his name, Yugeon did not even bother to wonder. He was someone who had stormed alone into a hospital ward located deep inside a facility dedicated for the criminals, and where the Espers were standing guard all over the place. 

"I told you, we'll see each other again soon."

"....."

"Is the guy from last time still alive? He is a lot tougher than I thought."

Yugeon glared at him and bit his lower lip, reminding himself not to get caught up in the opponent's pace. He might be sitting gracefully and smiling, but the egg yolk inside that pretty shell was cruel and vicious. If his mood was spoiled, he'd crack open Yugeon's skull without mercy. Not unlike the mutant corpses that were crushed with every step he took, just like the very night they first met.

".....What do you want?"

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out why the man was interested in him. An S-class Awakened with the world at his feet. He could get anything he wanted with a flick of his hand, so what was he sad about? He decided to cut to the chase.

"I've never had more than a 2 percent fit rate with any guide. Do you know what that means?"

Instead of answering the question, Shinje brought up a rather random topic.

"To get 100 percent of the guiding efficiency, I have to do the deed with one person at least 50 times in a row. Or line up 50 people and go through them one by one."

"....."

"Low-ranking Awakened people are going crazy because they can't get a guide, while high-ranking Awakened are going crazy for this very reason."

It was the first time Yugeon had heard of this. The F-class Hunters, who never had the opportunity to meet a high rank Awakened, could only envy them with their poorly crafted imaginations. Since those people had a lot of money, they could afford all sorts of luxuries, and they could buy any kind of guide whenever they wanted.

"Some people liked it, at the beginning. You can roll around with a bunch of people under the excuse of guiding. But they eventually come to realize it. That there's no end to this agony. That we are all fated to suffer from this great thirst for the rest of our lives, raging and struggling to fill what we can never fill until our eventual deaths."

Reactions after realization varied from people to people. There were those who gave up on receiving guiding altogether and humbly waited for death, some hung on for dear life to see if they could make it without guiding, and others unleashed their unbridled rage by abusing their guides. 

"What do you think, Guide Baek Yugeon? Will there ever come a time when I will be freed from this hell?"

When he finished, Shinje stared at Yugeon with an expressionless face. It put a strange look on the man who looked like he wears a smile on his face at all times.

Shinje in the ruined alley came to mind. His eyes, mixed with madness and blind longing, gleaming in the darkness. He wondered if they, too, were the marks of a maniacal need to fill the unfillable. 

A precarious silence ensued as they stared at each other across the murky void. Shinje smiled again as if he never stopped.

"So, the bottom line is, I think you are the first to break that 2 percent barrier. I didn't even have to shove my dick in your ass, all I did was suck on your lips and tongue a bit."

He casually uttered the obscene words in a voice that sounded like he was reading a love poem.

"I don't know if I should congratulate you or say thank you, but, um..... let's do both."

"What does that mean….."

"Didn't you know? Of course, you wouldn't know. You've probably spent your life until now around those F-class garbage who wouldn't know the extent of your ability and would be satisfied with just holding your hand."

"....."

"Guide Baek Yugeon, I need you."

"You are saying….. Are you asking me to be your guide?"

Shinje cocked his head slightly as if asking why he was asking the obvious, but soon he smiled softly and nodded. He and Yugeon had surprisingly good guiding compatibility. He didn't even need to run a compatibility test to know that. The sensation of his energy being sucked out of the nerves and blood vessels of his entire body was not something he could easily feel. He could understand that much.

The thing he didn't understand was something else. Let's say, against the odds of one in millions or even hundreds of millions, he found someone who was incredibly compatible with him. But why would that make Yugeon this man's guide?

Yugeon had Heeseong. It had never occurred to him to have a partner other than Heeseong. From the very minute he became a guide, his brother was the one he had to take responsibility until his death. To leave him alone and go to another Hunter when Heeseong was wandering through life and death, framed, just one wall away? He wouldn't do it, not even for a hundred billion won.

"I have to decline. Please get lost."

It was an immediate answer, without a moment's hesitation. Shinje shut his mouth and stared at him.

"Did you really think I'd accept such a ridiculous offer? Do I look like a fucking idiot? Stupid enough to get under you just because you liked it?"

The more he talked, the angrier he became. Did he think Yugeon was just going to keep his head down and say yes to his every suggestion? Did he think he'd be over the moon like a commoner who was told that he was chosen as a royal servant?

"Really..... you deserve a spank or two for that mouth."

Shinje broke the silence and laughed like a sigh. Yugeon, feeling like he was being mocked, raised his voice.

"I said no...!"

"No, Yugeon-ah."

Shinje cut off Yugeon's words. The tone of his voice changed in an instant. His voice was still gravelly and soft, but there was a hint of pressure in it, as if he was stamping down an opponent.

"When did I ever give you the right to choose?"

He untangled his crossed legs and straightened his upper body from leaning lazily against the chair's backrest. A smirking gaze looked down at Yugeon.

"As I was saying. If you want to save the man lying in the next room."

"You..."

Yugeon sucked in a rugged breath. Cold sweat pooled in his tightly clenched hands.

"You are saying you can save my brother? How?"

Heeseong was already being treated like a criminal. The medical care he was currently receiving was nothing more than life support. They couldn't kill a patient on purpose, so they were letting him live, but even if he died right now, there was nothing they would do about it.

From the standpoint of the Awakening Management Headquarters, Heeseong was a felon, so it wouldn't be a waste to die. Rather, they seemed to be secretly hoping that he would die in a coma. If he woke up and went on a rampage again, or protested that he was in fact innocent, it would only be a nuisance. 

Plus, unlike conventional surgeries, the surgeries that Awakened people had to undergo were exorbitantly expensive. Not to mention they also had a number of bizarre symptoms that conventional medicine could not address, and in some cases, they even had to mobilize a guide from the hospital or medical Espers.

At this rate, Heeseong would eventually die, like a candle being blown out. And there would be nothing Yugeon could do. All he could do was sit back and wait for his brother's death. He felt so helpless. But yet this person was saying he could save him.

"Can I just save him? I can even make the Espers who are writing their silly little scenarios to shut up. Spend whatever you want on hospital bills. All of this isn't going to make a dent in my balance."

Shinje tilted his head slightly.

"What do you say, darling? Is this enough for a coma?"

He let out a dry chuckle as if he'd heard a funny joke despite what he had just said. However, Yugeon's stern face showed no sign of softening.

He knew the man wouldn't take his refusal easily. Shinje rose from his seat and slowly walked towards the bed. Never taking his eyes off of Yugeon for a single moment, like a bird of prey closing in on its long-sought prey. His hand, cladded in black leather gloves, gripped Yugeon's bare hand in handcuffs. Yugeon's hand, with calluses and scratches here and there, was placed on top of his bigger hand.

"What are you doing?"

Yugeon flinched reflexively, but did not resist. Perhaps he had realized that it would be useless to resist in this situation. However, he didn't let his guard down and just glared at him with murderous eyes. Looking at Yugeon's hands, Shinje let out a sad sigh. Everything was fine, but the hideous handcuffs were bothering him. The center bastards really had no sense of aesthetics.

"I came here thinking about choosing a ring..... but you are already wearing a different bracelet."

He pulled Yugeon's hand up, and put his hand under it. So that their fingers were entangled. When he raised their tightly intertwined hands, there was the sound of chains dragging underneath. He lightly pressed his lips on the back of Yugeon's hand, dry and bony.

"No more shackles from anyone but me. I'll give you something strong enough that no one else can break them."

"What are the conditions?"

Yugeon remained tense the entire time Shinje was touching him. Even when he kissed his hand, he only frowned slightly. Leaving his hand held by Shinje alone, he focused only on staring straight into his eyes and asking his true intentions.

Shinje burst into laughter. It was his first time to see a reaction so plain. He was expecting him to squirm or freak out. Was it because he had no experience or had no interest at all in sexual matters, or was he just so easy that he wouldn't react to a mere kiss on the back of his hand? From the last time he kissed him, he could tell it was the former.

Until now, he must have been living like a kid with his beloved older brother. Since he was busy acting as a guardian and taking care of his sibling, he probably hadn't had a chance to play around with others.

"If you were just simply looking for a compatible guide, you wouldn't have put up such a generous price. What exactly are the conditions?"

"I was wondering what you were thinking about earlier. So that's the question rolling around in your pretty head for so long."

Shinje was again using gentle honorifics. If anything, it was even more insulting. What was the use of those words? It was already clear that he didn't see the other person as his equal.

"Smart, too. Good job."

It sounded like a child was being praised. Yugeon gritted his teeth and repeated.

"Conditions!"

"Be a guide to Erewhon and obey my orders. Endure anything that comes to you. And..... follow me into the gates."

The first and second conditions were anticipated. High rank Awakened people that treated their guides as equals and respected them were not unheard of, but they were also rare. There were quite a few who didn't even see them as human beings. Many guides longed for a life of wealth and honor as the companions of the high rank Awakened, but on the other hand, they were also afraid of the off chance that they might end up choosing the wrong partner. And whenever that happened, you were surely going to lose your life.

However, the third condition was a problem. Taking a guide inside the gates. The words, ‘Are you crazy?’ rose to the tip of his tongue. 

Guides were originally non-combatants. They never went anywhere near the gates, let alone inside it. They were usually stationed inside the headquarters building, waiting for the Awakened in charge to return from the battle, and even if they had to go out on expedition to provide emergency guiding in the field, they would wait in their vehicles or at the base camp. 

Once beyond the gate, that is, entering the Pit, even the most seasoned Hunters would often come out dead. No, it could be said that it was fortunate if they came back out even as a lifeless body, as there were many cases where the bodies couldn't even be retrieved. Why would someone drag a guide into such a place? It was like dragging a medic naked in the middle of a carpet bombing. There should be a limit to treating a guide like a disposable recovery potion.

But how could he refuse now? Even if it meant throwing his life away like a piece of tissue paper, when he had no other choice..... 

"So, what's the answer?"

"....."

A million devastating thoughts swirled in his head. He felt like he was being suffocated. Yugeon said nothing. Instead, he closed his eyes tightly, his lower lip trembling. That alone was enough as an answer. The smile on Shinje's lips deepened.

Yugeon saw visions under his closed eyelids. Chunks of concrete drifting through the murky waters and clinging to his ankles. 

The concrete fragments clumped together into a solid mass, firmly binding his feet. His last, desperate breath turned to bubbles and rose up to the surface. But on the contrary, he was dragged further and further down. To the depths that he could never rise again.

Eventually, he would drown at the bottom of the deep sea, unable to utter a single scream. Instead of fresh air, he would fill his lungs with damp, fetid sea water. Only then would he realize that it was not concrete that bound him, but a man's hands. Whose hands were those? Shinje? Or Heeseong? Before he knew it, he would become a corpse that had been blown blue, sinking. 

However, he wasn't even given the right to choose how he died, was he? Just as Woo Shinje put it so succinctly.

[Breaking news! Woo Shinje (S), the Leader of Erewhon, holds an emergency press conference regarding the incident at Seonram-dong Industrial Complex.]

Breaking news popped at the bottom of every TV channel. The same was true for Internet portals. New headlines filled the top of every news page. A Press Conference room was on the live screen. A steady stream of bright lights shone down on the empty podium. Soon after, a man dressed in an impeccably tailored suit entered the room. Click, Click, Click! The sound of camera shutters became even louder.

Despite the blinding flashlights coming at him from all sides, the man was relaxed. He stood upright in the most plausible pose for the screen, even changing his angle slightly for the cameras in different directions. He looked more like an accomplished model than a Hunter. His sharp attire also had something to do with it. 

Shinje lightly greeted here and there, walked over with a leisurely pace, and sat down in front of the podium. As soon as the ceremonial greetings and opening remarks were over, questions from reporters started flying in.

"There are a lot of speculations that the direct cause of the incident was the rampage of one of the F-class Hunters who participated in the raid. In particular, suspicions are being raised that this Hunter may have intentionally caused the rampage. What do you think?"

"Let me start with the most important fact: they are not true at all."

"What's your rationale?"

"I was there at the time, and I saw it with my own eyes."

"Are you saying that Hunter Woo Shinje himself went to the Seonram-dong Industrial Complex?"

"That's right."

"This raid was not reported in the Official Raid Schedule released by Erewhon."

"It was because it was a personal move on my part, independent of the Order."

It was a statement that would prove to be a major turning point for the ongoing investigation. Currently, there were less than ten S-class Hunters nation-wide, and a high ranking person like the head of an entire Order just admitted that he personally went to an unremarkable backwater. Many began to wonder why a sudden press conference was held in Erewhon, a place where media exposure was rarely welcomed, and the reason to drop a bombshell like this. 

Shinje closed his mouth after saying what he had to say. Flashlights from hundreds of cameras poured over the pale face of the man facing them without so much as averting his gaze. 

"Then did you witness exactly what happened at the scene and what caused it?"

"Even though it was a small gate, most of the people who participated in the raid were killed. What do you think?"

"Was it not possible to reduce the damage at Hunter Woo Shinje's discretion??"

S-classes were both objects of awe and fodder for public curiosity. Whenever an S-class Awakened spoke a word in public, dozens of articles were generated, and every internet communities and streaming sites were flooded with content biting, chewing, and gnawing at their every move. 

The intent of the question was clear. F-class Hunters were killed in a swarm, but you were an S-class and couldn't stop it? It was an interrogation disguised as a question.

"Hunter Woo Shinje, please respond."

"My question first!"

Continuous flashlights, deafening shutters, reporters shouting with their hands in the air. It was a sight that would have sent a lesser man into a panic. However, Shinje watched them silently with his hands clasped on the table. It was as if he had been through this countless times before.

"I arrived at the site later than expected due to my physical conditions. As you all know, Erewhon Team 1 hasn't had a full-time guide in recent months. By the time I arrived, unfortunate things had already happened."

The reporters, who had been frantically tapping away at their keyboards, exchanged glances, a look of understanding on their faces. It was well known that high rank Awakened people finding a compatible guide was akin to picking stars from the sky, but even among them, Erewhon was a place especially famous for having no dedicated guiding partners. Furthermore, the Order's methods of operation were extremely aggressive, contrary to the public image of its leader and face, Woo Shinje. 

Hunters of Erewhon were forced to take powerful drugs to keep up with their rigorous and vicious raiding schedule. It was not an exaggeration to say that they had drugs instead of blood flowing through their veins. Other Hunters watched their mouths in front of them, but in their backs, they were ‘crazy druggies’ or ‘junkie scums’, etc.

Despite such fatal shortcomings, Erewhon had always been the undisputed No. 1 Order in the Hunter community. Part of this was due to the fact that it was the only Order in the country to employ two S-classes, but the main reason lay elsewhere.

Some of the Hunting Orders had long been degenerated from their initial purpose of their establishment and became busy playing money with chaebols and politicians on their backs as sponsors. In some places, internal strifes had also risen as executives jockeyed over issues such as shares and profits. Erewhon, on the other hand, had remained unencumbered by any of this and had only pursued sheer strength, constantly challenging stronger mutants and bigger gates, as was their fundamental ‘destiny’ as ‘Awakened ones’. 

Recently, however, disturbing rumors had been circulating among Hunters and others in the industry. The apparent reason for the lack of a dedicated guide in Erewhon Team 1 was not that they couldn't find a guide with a suitable match, but for entirely different reasons. It was said that every guide who went in was either kicked out on the verge of death or abused until they died. 

No matter how much the liver hurt, no one could bring themselves to directly ask Shinje that question. With all eyes on him, the reporters waited for his next words.

"Obviously, it was just a small gate, but a powerful mutant appeared that even I hadn't anticipated, and the Hunter who was currently under suspicion had gone on a rampage from overusing his abilities while fighting it for his life."

The whole story of the mysterious incident was finally revealed. Although some might have doubts about the authenticity of his words, no one dared to directly question Shinje, saying, "How can we believe what you say?". This was an era when a single testimony from a high-ranking Awakened carried more weight than any other piece of evidence.

CCTV footage? Photographs? Data stored in memory? All of those things were at the mercy of those with the ability to manipulate radio waves. And whenever mutant species with magnetic fields appeared, damage to those devices was also common.

"His rampage was by no means intentional. If you had been there to witness the accident, you'd never make that claim."

Shinje lowered his gaze in a pensive manner. His pale-colored eyelashes fluttered. Not only the reporters on the scene, but even the people watching through the broadcast held their breath for a moment.

"I hurriedly eliminated the remaining mutants, but it was after we had already lost too many victims. If only I had gotten there a little earlier, I might have been able to save at least one more, if not all of them."

A long, graceful hand, cladded in black leather gloves, gently grasped the base of the tabletop microphone on the podium. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then quickly closed it again.

"....."

He turned his head slightly as if he couldn't bring himself to speak. His eyes, as innocent as lilies blooming by the water's edge, were slightly red. Not many people would be able to look him in the face and calmly ask the right questions.

Shinje exquisitely kept the proper expressions. The corners of his eyes were moist, as if they were wet, but he never shed a tear or sobbed loud. To formally express his regrets, but not to undermine his authority. He cleared his throat slightly and looked straight ahead again. A faint trace of sadness lingered on his resolute, determined face.

"I would like to express my sincere respect to the Hunters who died fighting for mankind until the end. As one of the survivors of their sacrifice, I will surely honor their memory and relieve their pain."

"How?"

"For now, Erewhon will be funding the cost of repairing the damage in the area, as well as consolation money for the families of the victims. I hope you can accept my apology, even if it is not much. And to the Awakening Management Headquarters."

Shinje smiled facing the artificial lights that filled his vision. His every move was probably being transmitted to them in real time through hundreds of camera lenses.

Finally, all the cards were in order. The Hunting Order, the strongest fighting force in the country, the information they'd been sifting through for decades. And now that the last card, the Joker, Baek Yugeon, had finally revealed himself. They were finally ready to descend down the abyss beyond the gate in search of ‘that guy’. He was now fully armed, ready to slit the throat of that damned Mad God, who could have easily devoured the entire human race in one bite at any moment, but who had been terrorizing them for decades just like a cat playing with his prey before filling its belly.

Now, he could finally end this tedious game. With the death of all that he hated—the Awakening Management Headquarters, the Hunters, the mutants, and even himself—he could complete his vengeance and finally rest in peace. And for now, he intended to start the war by publicizing all the hushed-up affairs.

"I'd like to hold them accountable, not just for this accident, but for decades of deliberate cover-ups without publicizing the fact that anomalies often occurred at the gates despite knowing it for a long time."

Shinje dropped the bombshell in his usual casual tone. Everyone in the press conference room fell into a deathly silence. But the silence did not last long. Within seconds, the vast hall was buzzing like a bee hive. Reporters latched onto the sudden big scoop that came out of nowhere.

"Hunter Woo Shinje! What do you mean by deliberate cover-up?"

"We need more explanation!"

"Then, are you saying something like this has happened before?"

"What does this case have to do with the Awakening Management Headquarters?"

"By anomalies, do you mean unusually strong mutants spawning from the gates?"

"What you just said, what exactly do you mean?!"

Shinje leisurely looked around the boisterous crowd with a faint smile on his face. Everyone was going crazy, and only he alone was calm.

One of the reporters stiffly raised her hand, looking like she'd been slapped on the back of her head, in other words, as if she had come to a sudden realization. Shinje smiled generously, and raised his hand to point to that side. The reporter's face immediately lit up as she hadn't expected to get a say in the middle of this chaos.

"Oh, I'm Heo Yoonah from 〈Real Issue〉!"

"Yes, Reporter Heo. Go ahead."

"I would like to know if the Hwangan Bridge incident 13 years ago was also a gate anomaly that Hunter Woo Shinje spoke of....."

Shinje made eye contact with the reporter and smiled at her as if praising a well-behaved child. At that moment, the reporter realized something like a hunch. That he had deliberately chosen someone to ask a specific question, and that was her.

"I think that question is best answered by the Awakening Management Headquarters, but you will have to ask them directly. I've long since ceased to be part of their organization."

The words were vague, but it was a de facto affirmation.

After the press conference, Yugeon was released with ridiculous ease. The Espers removed the handcuffs he was wearing and allowed him to leave the hospital without further investigation or interview. Heeseong was the only one who was seriously injured, and Yugeon didn't need to be hospitalized for long, so it wasn't hard to let him go since they were only holding him for investigation. If they were going to let them go this easily, he wondered why they were being treated like criminals and imprisoned all this time. 

In fact, there was a good reason for that: they couldn't afford to pay attention to Yugeon anymore. Ever since Shinje dropped that bombshell at the press conference, the center had been turned upside down. Bulletin boards and phone lines were set on fire, while a task force team was hastily assembled to hold a counter press conference. Mid- to low-rank Espers knew nothing about the gate anomalies, so they dismissed Shinje's words as false. Most of them believed that he was just deliberately trying to defame the Awakening Management Headquarters by spreading rumors with political intentions.

However, the mood was entirely different in the upper echelons of the organization. The so-called ‘stars’ with shiny things on their rank insignia walked the halls with serious looks on their faces. Several emergency meetings were held behind closed doors. 

Whether or not they made a mess of things, Yugeon had returned to their home alone. Unlike when he left the house, there was no one by his side. 

He inserted the key into the door, which was so worn out that it hooded paint dust with every turn. The inside was not much different from when they had left. The few furniture they owned were neatly arranged in the cramped apartment. 

Yugeon was not a neat freak. He was good at keeping himself clean because he always had to thoroughly wash off the blood and bodily fluids of the mutants, but he didn't care much about the cleanliness of his surroundings. Even if mold grew on the walls and dust piled up on the table, he wasn't the type of stress about it. There was even a time when he tried to eat food that was past its expiration date without thinking, but Heeseong had freaked out and tore it apart. He was the type of person who could sleep well even with the sky as a quilt and the earth as a pillow, so it was always up to Heeseong to keep things organized. To be precise, Yugeon did it under Heeseong's supervision. 

"Yugeon-ah! Baek Yugeon! Why don't you clean that up? Look here. It's still dusty! I can't live with the filth, I swear!"

A jittery voice rang in his ears. Yugeon couldn't really tell what the difference was between the spot that received the passing grade for cleaning and the spot that didn't, but he figured if his brother still thought it was dirty, it must be dirty, so he mopped again in silence. 

Yugeon looked around the house. The untidied bed where Heeseong dawdled around until late, and the two cups in the sink with dried coffee stains. There were traces of the two of them living together, but now he was all alone. 

Everyday, Heeseong would point out Yugeon's insensitivity and lack of tact, but the only thing he would praise was his coffee. It wasn't anything fancy, really. Usually, it was just a cheap mix, and every once in a while, if they got a bonus, he'd buy a bit more expensive instant coffee. 

He headed for the kitchen without taking off his coat. He took a mug with a chip from the cupboard and poured water into the old electric kettle. He leaned his back against the cold wall, waiting for the water to boil. 

His parents, whose faces were now a blur, had forbidden him to drink coffee because it was bad for children. The first time he drank coffee was after entering the hunter industry. A kid who hadn't even made it to middle school, shadowing the older Hunters to learn the ropes. A Hunter whose name he could no longer recall handed him a small paper cup filled with hot coffee without a word. He didn't know if it was because they felt sorry for Yugeon, or because he had done a good job that day. 

On a frigid winter night, a cup of coffee picked up in a damp back alley, reeking of mutant blood and secretions. Young Yugeon shivered and desperately wrapped his palms around the paper cup and warmed his hand. Steam rose from the warm, light brown liquid and dispersed into the dark air. The strange feeling he felt at the time must have been deeply embedded in his subconscious. He didn't enjoy cigarettes, alcohol, or any of the other cravings, but coffee had become his go-to. 

The water was now boiling hot. He opened the package of mixed coffee and shook out the powder. He could now do the pouring hot water part with his eyes closed. The bittersweet aroma of cheap coffee wafted through the small room. Yugeon leaned back against the wall and took a sip from his mug, staring blankly out of the window. 

A vivid red streaked across the fogged glass window, across the floor, and over his face. It was the cross light from the church across the street. Those neon lights flashing all day long often kept Heeseong awake at night. 

"Our father who art in heaven....."

After a while he started to hum a rhyme under his breath, his head resting on the side of the ice like wall. He picked it up over his shoulder one day what a Hunter had recited before going into battle. Yugeon didn't really understand that Hunter back then. He was the kind of person who trusted the weapon in his hand more than a shapeless, unknown deity, so he shrugged it off as just another one of those people. 

However, now that he was being pushed to his limits, he could vaguely understand his feelings. Yugeon really wanted to grasp a straw. He wondered if that God or something would even listen to the prayers of someone like him, who didn't have a shred of faith. Whatever. He had nothing to lose anyway. 

But soon, Yugeon was left tongue-tied. He didn't know what the next verse was. There was no way that he, who hadn't even completed compulsory education, could have memorized the Lord's Prayer. 

His lips parted a few times in vain. But no sound came out. His chest felt stuffy as if his jaw was blocked. He felt disillusioned with himself, who had no choice but to live in such an ignorant, crude, and vulgar life, unable to even pray properly in his most desperate moments. 

He dropped the hand that held his empty mug and muttered the only phrase that remained in his head. 

"......Deliver us from evil."

A pale blue light splashed across the glass of the window, where only dark red darkness was lurking. The night had finally receded and a new morning was dawning. Yugeon slowly pushed himself up. It was time to go. 

An out of place luxurious car pulled up in a shabby alley. A sleek, handsome sports car, with a jet-black matte paint job. It was a kind of car that wouldn't even be visible at night. 

The driver's door opened upward and a strange man got out. He was wearing a black dress shirt and dark gray suit pants. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to below his elbows, revealing toned, bare forearms. His dark brown hair was parted and neatly styled.

If Shinje looked like a model for a luxury suit brand, this man looked like an office worker who had just stepped out from working at one of the high-rise buildings in the middle of the city center. Although he had a strong physique and an intimidating aura for a regular office worker.

Just like Shinje, this man was of great stature. He wouldn't be lower than 190 centimeters. Although Yugeon had always been called a ‘kid’ when he was working with his brother and other Hunters, no one had ever called him short, but whenever he stood in front of them, he had to raise his head to meet their eyes.

"Guide Baek Yugeon?"

The man asked, his brows furrowing slightly like a habit. It was a low-pitched voice that sounded like a hum from the depths.

"Yes."

"I am Joo Taein from Erewhon."

After the simple introduction, Taein glanced over at Yugeon. A slightly baggy hoodie, a backpack slung haphazardly over one shoulder, and black hair covering his forehead. Unarmed, Yugeon looked impossibly young. If only he had textbooks and a smartphone in his hands, he could have easily passed for an ordinary college student.

Taein doubted if this person was a legal adult, or if he even knew how to guide properly, and if he really knew the situation he's in. And Shinje's going to take a kid like this in as his exclusive guide? What the hell was that guy thinking? Taein's brow furrowed a little deeper. But he quickly dismissed the thought. He didn't really want to know much about Shinje's inner thoughts. Knowing wouldn't make any difference after all.

"Is that all you packed?"

Yugeon nodded. He had cleaned up the house, but he only had less than a backpack's worth of stuff to take with him. All of his original gear had been destroyed in the last battle. And considering where he was going now, it would be useless to take his scuffed-up, cheap gear with him anyway. 

So he just packed a few extra clothes and called it a day. In the first place, he had no desire for material things and didn't like anything cumbersome, so when it came to clothes, three or four sets of clothes were everything he had. He couldn't believe all the years of living with his brother could be put together in just a single bag. As he was packing, he felt bitter again.

Without another word, Taein turned around and opened the passenger's door. Now that the necessary conversation was over, he didn't feel the need to talk any further. Yugeon was also a man of few words, second to none. Besides, the other person was a Hunter from Erewhon who had come to pick him up under Shinje's orders. He felt no desire to be friendly, and he had no social skills to do so. 

A heavy silence hung between the two strangers. Taein extended his hand to him. He must be asking for his bag. Yugeon hesitated for a moment, faced with the terribly unfamiliar and awkward situation of someone offering to carry his luggage for him out of consideration, and then pulled down his backpack. It was then their bare hands briefly brushed against each other.

"....."

At that moment, Taein suddenly made a face and slapped away his hand. As if he had touched something dirty and disgusting. Thud! There was a loud noise as the backpack was tossed to the ground.

".....Ah."

Yugeon's reaction to the blow to the back of his hand was a beat too late. It was hard to tell if it was a surprise gasp or a sigh. Taein sighed and pulled a pair of gloves out of his pants pocket. They looked like the same black leather gloves that Shinje had been wearing. He put them on with the care and precision of a surgeon performing an operation, then bent down to pick up the fallen backpack.

The back of his hand had quickly turned red, as if he was slapped with the man's full strength. Coincidentally, it was the spot where Shinje had kissed him. Yugeon got into the passenger seat in silence, his expression unreadable. He did not protest against the violence nor did he complain of pain.

He had been prepared for this when he accepted Shinje's offer. In the low-rank Order he used to be a part of, he'd gotten used to being kicked around for someone having a bad day, or for disagreeing with them, summoned out of the house frequently to be beaten all night, and slapped until his lips burst open in front of dozens of people. This was a slap on the back of the hand by comparison. 

"Please be careful. I'll also be more careful in the future."

Taein warned in a low voice, glancing at him. It was a terribly dull voice. Anyone would sound more cheerful than this even if they were reading Korean literature books.

"I don't like it when guides touch me recklessly."

With those words, he started the car. There was no apology. There was also no asking if he was okay or not. The sleek sports car roared to life, and the two of them sped out of the familiar back alley and onto the main street. 

Throughout the drive, Taein never once looked back at him. He didn't say anything, didn't acknowledge him, and treated Yugeon as if he didn't exist at all. Yugeon bit his lower lip and stared out the other window. He was riding a high-end foreign car that he'd never even dreamed of owning, but he didn't feel comfortable at all. His throat felt tight as if someone was choking him. The black tinted car window reminded him of the deep sea, cold and dreary. 

After what seemed like an eternity in silence, the destination was finally in sight. A building that had once been a landmark five-star hotel in the heart of Seoul, but had been purchased and renovated after a massive mutant raid. It was Erewhon's headquarters.

"Good morning, Deputy Chief."

As soon as he pulled up in front of the front door and got off, he was approached by a waiting employee. Taein handed over the car keys in a familiar manner. 

The interior of the building was as grand as it looked from the outside. A dazzling chandelier hung in the center of a ceiling so high he had to crane his neck to look up. The lobby was classically silvered in a way that didn't fit the bleak image usually associated with Hunters. There were marble sculptures and even a decorative fountain. Even the restrooms in this building seemed to be bigger than Yugeon and Heeseong's house. Not just the size, there would even be a huge difference in price. 

The walls and floors were all marble, black with a silvery luster. The colors reminded Yugeon of Shinje. This building itself resembled the man's taste. Ornate but not too loud, calm but not bland.

Taein walked across the lobby with Yugeon in tow. Occasionally, there would be people who recognized him and greeted him, but there were also plenty of people who just walked by. It was certainly a freer atmosphere compared to the Espers who stood motionless guarding his room. 

They took the elevator from the lobby, and just as he thought that was it, they got off half way and switched to an elevator dedicated to exclusive floors. Taein's card key was read by the sensor and he pressed the floor button, and the elevator began to move smoothly. The floor number on the LCD screen went up at an alarmingly fast rate. 

"Where are we going?"

Yugeon, who had been following Taein silently without a word so far, asked a question for the very first time. He wanted to know where he was going, even if he was being dragged along. 

"We are going to meet the Leader."

"Hunter Woo Shinje?"

Taein made a face as if he was asking the obvious. His expression was saying he didn't want to exchange another single syllable with Yugeon. However, Yugeon wasn't too faint-hearted to just shut up either. He brushed aside the other person's foul attitude and asked again.

"Didn't he send you instead because he was busy? Why bother?"

"He was busy earlier, but I'm guessing he's probably not at the moment. The center has been hounding him since morning."

"The center, does the center have anything to do with this case? What is the identity of that mutant? What he said at the press conference..."

"I don't know why Guide Baek Yugeon is asking me this. Did you think I was going to explain it to you?"

Taein cut off Yugeon's words halfway through. There was a hint of contempt on his tight lips.

"I don't think you'll understand, even if I explained."

Yugeon snapped back with a sharp glare.

"It's up to me to decide whether I understand or not."

The air between the two men froze. Taein, who had been standing straight ahead, turned to face Yugeon. Due to the difference in physique, a shadow fell over Yugeon.

"Guide Baek Yugeon. Please act like you don't exist. Don't pay attention to nonsense and just do what you are asked to do. Anyway, you will soon be....."

He opened his mouth as if to say more, but the elevator stopped with a soft ding. It was the topmost floor. He sighed briefly, shook his head, and walked past Yugeon. There was a large door in the middle of a spacious hallway. It had been the presidential suite when the building was a hotel. 

Shinje preferred to spend his time quietly in his room, unlike his outward appearance that suggested that he would attend all kinds of noisy and glamorous events. Whenever he didn't have a schedule, he would shut himself in here and not leave for days on end. As if it wasn't enough that he filled every meal with room service, he also took work reports in his suite, and even held meetings with others. It didn't matter anyway, as the suite had a sitting room and a study.

Taein rang the doorbell, waited a moment, then opened the door without hesitation and entered. He knew all too well that Shinje was not the kind of person to walk up to the front door with socks on and open the door for the guests.

The first thing Yugeon noticed was the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up an entire wall. The blinds were raised to give a clear view of the city. He realized that the dizzying height of this place was the top-most floor of the building. Shinje, who had been reclining on a couch that looked wider than the bed Yugeon had been sleeping on, looking at a tablet, turned his head. 

He put down the tablet he was looking at and put his arms on the armrest of the couch in a roomy pose. A casual look, with his shirt unbuttoned at the top and without a tie. It was neither the disorganized appearance when they first met in the blood-stained ruins nor the unrealistically perfected appearance when he visited Yugeon in his hospital room. He looked pale as if the guiding he received last time had lost its effect, but not as much as the first time they'd met.

"Hello, my guide."

Instead of saying something, Taein stared at him blankly. Shinje snapped his fingers nonchalantly.

"Should I say our guide?"

"Do as you please."

"Did anything happen on the way here?"

"There wasn't."

“None."

Shinje lowered his eyes. There was still redness on Yugeon's hand, peeking out from under the sleeve of his hoodie.

"Take good care of it. It was hard to find."

"I'll take note."

A conversation dealing with a person like an object was exchanged casually in front of the person concerned. Shinje then spoke to Yugeon, who stood still, as if he had just remembered.

"Guide Baek Yugeon. Take it off."

His tone was serene as always. But the content of the words was anything but serene.

"Take off your clothes. It's something I'm going to eat to my heart's content in the foreseeable future, but there shouldn't be any blemishes on your body."

Living among the rough and crude Hunters, Yugeon had heard just about every obscene word he could think of. Yugeon had never given guiding to anyone using his body, but it wasn't one or two times that crude jokes were made whenever he was guiding them; asking for handjob, asking how many people had fucked him in the ass, and the like. However, Shinje's words were especially insulting. There was a big difference between the words of those who usually use profanity as if they were breathing and the words of a man sitting on a luxury couch as gracefully as a painting. 

"....."

Yugeon gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. The bones on the back of his hand stood out, lined with blue veins. 

"There is a condition in our contract that you would obey my orders, isn't there? You have to listen to me well. That is if you want to keep your brother alive for another day."

He did not feel shocked or betrayed by Shinje's words and actions. He didn't have any expectations in the first place, so there was nothing to be disappointed about. That man had been like that since they first met, so it wasn't like he didn't expect this to happen. It was just ridiculous.

Yugeon realized it once again. The whole world was his enemy, the object of his struggle, except for Heeseong, his blood and flesh. A mixture of confusion, shame, and hatred gradually faded from Yugeon's face. He took a deep breath, crossed his arms, grabbed the bottom of the hoodie he was wearing, and flicked it up and off in one swift motion. 

Once he made up his mind, his hands hesitated no longer. He quickly stripped off the short-sleeved T-shirt that he was wearing underneath. Shinje, who was watching the scene, softly whistled. Taein's tightly clenched jaw tightened. However, he did not make any move to stop either Shinje or Yugeon.

He recognized it when they tumbled around on the asphalt floor stained with blood and dirt, but Shinje really liked the body. Yugeon was not bulky, but also not skinny, he was just moderately fit. He had a few scars on his upper toro, perhaps from the mutants, but they suited him just fine. He only needed to put on a little more weight there to make him more in line with Shinje's tastes, but he was fine as it was. 

He would love to see that stiff, military dog-like face contorted, and covered in all sorts of fluids. What would Yugeon do if he bit down with all his might on the collarbone that stood out beneath that slender neck? What if he tore open the skin that smelled like cheap soap and drank his blood? What if he wrapped a thick rope around his wrists and dragged him across the room? 

"Finish taking it all off. It's what's down there that counts."

Shinje smirked and ordered. Like a robot, Yugeon snapped open the button of his pants and zipped them down. His head slightly bowed as he concentrated on undressing, and his eyes, which had been staring downward, suddenly lifted to meet Shinje's. 

"....."

It was a face void of expression, except his eyes. A lukewarm killing intent was boiling in those jet-black pupils. Like a wild beast that vowed never to forget the face of an opponent who had trampled it, never to forget this disgrace.

He was impressed. It was unbearable. Shinje straightened his upper body, which had been reclining lazily half-buried in the couch, and sat upright. With slow, languid fingers, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. It seemed that if he didn't suck on it, his senses would soon lose their grip and he would become even more unruly. 

His eyes were still fixed on Yugeon as he took a deep breath in the smoke. Soon the pants fell at Yugeon's feet. Shinje nodded with the cigarette in his mouth. Greedy and arrogant, like a nouveau riche watching a strip show. ‘What are you doing? You still have more to do’, he demanded. 

Finally, even the dark navy blue underwear was crumpled and tossed onto the pile of clothes. The air felt unusually chilly against his bare skin. However, he couldn't do anything, because if he shrank or covered himself, it would give away that he was conscious of his opponent.

"Looks clean. Well, you don't have any disease or anything, do you?"

"If I say yes, will you return it unused?"

"I haven't used it, but I've already opened it, so I guess I can no longer return it. I'll just have to suck it up and use it."

"....."

"I didn't know my guide is really good at joking around."

Shinje leaned over and laughed, his shoulders shaking. He then raised his head suddenly as if he just remembered something. There was a smile in his slow eyes.

"Your legs are hurting from all that standing, aren't they? Oh, that was inconsiderate of me..... Why don't you have a seat?"

First he asked him to take off all his clothes, and now he wanted him to sit down? It was a ridiculous command. He didn't want to sit next to him naked, and he didn't want to be on the floor like a dog in front of its owner. 

"I don't..."

Yugeon faltered back. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He was prepared to do whatever they asked him to do, but words of rejection slipped out before he could stop himself.

"You don't want to? Why?"

Shinje squinted his eyes, long lashes falling, and asked in an abominably casual manner. His ash-colored pupils were half-open, as if they were soaked in drugs. 

Then something cool touched his bare skin. Large hands cladded in black gloves reached out from behind, firmly grasped Yugeon's shoulders and waist, and pressed him downward. An unearthly strength was suddenly loaded on his entire body.

It all happened so fast. His knees buckled under him. The marble floor made a dull thud. Yugeon staggered, gripped the floor, barely able to center himself. The sound of steady footsteps drew closer. He tried to lift his head to look up, but his jaw was caught. 

Holding the cigarette he was smoking with one hand, Shinje leaned forward, his other hand cupping Yugeon's chin. He studied him with the intensity of a child who had just gotten a new toy. His eyes, distorted with pain and discomfort, the scar on his eyelid, the corners of lips that clench and unclench, one by one. 

The face in his grasp was thin. If he just squeezed hard enough, he could crush his jaw with ease. Beneath his black hair, he had soft, round earlobes. They were too cute to match his ferocious expression. Their eyes met, and Shinje smiled. 

"Ha..."

Yugeon desperately turned his head, but his face wouldn't budge. The more he tried to move, the more his jaw ached. The same was true of his body under his neck. Taein hadn't let go of his hands, not even after he had forced him to his knees. A strong forearm, lined with veins, wrapped tightly around his waist. Large, leather-gloved hands had pinned Yugeon down from the front and the back. The feel of the cool leather against his bare skin was horrible.

"Open your mouth."

Shinje twisted Yugeon's jaw and pressed his thumb between his lips. When Yugeon didn't open his mouth voluntarily, he forced it open and dug in. His fingers pushed through the closed lips and pressed down on his tongue. The texture of slippery, tough leather was eerily familiar. 

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

Shinje called out to him lazily.

"Has anyone ever undressed you? Has anyone ever touched your body? Or ever given you a blowjob? Your dick, hands, tongue."

"....."

There was no way he could talk back. Instead of answering, Yugeon raised his eyes and glared at Shinje. The reddened eyes were slightly wet with physiologically leaking tears.

"I can tell by the look on your face even if you don't want to answer. You have never even masturbated, right? With your beloved brother holding your hands tightly every night."

Every time he brought up his brother, the focus went out of Yugeon's eyes. How was he so easy to understand? Shinje barely managed to hold back a laugh.

He was devoted to his family, did not blame his own misfortune, did not show off his abilities, and did not blame the fault of others. It was a life lived so foolishly that it was pitiful. Yugeon's uprightness was brilliant. At the same time, if he hadn't held his hand, he would have lived his whole life crawling at the bottom with his brother clinging on his back.

Shinje was again impressed by his own. He had indeed chosen a good guide after all. We are going to die together floundering at the bottom of the abyss, so aren't we a perfect match?

"It's not much of a thrill to get beaten up, is it? I'm sure you are sick to your stomach, but you just chalked it up to bad luck and decided to close your eyes and go along with the crazies, right?"

After poking around in his mouth, Shinje pulled out his fingers at one point. The thumb of the black glove was wet. A thin stream of clear liquid trickled from Yugeon's lips. Shinje stared down at it, then bit the edge of the glove with his teeth and pulled it off.

"...so, I am not going to do all that cliched stuff."

The gloves fell off at random. A hand that looked like they were made of white marble was revealed. It was a contrast to Taein, who was still wearing gloves, refusing to touch Yugeon with his bare hands.

"I want to leave you a scar on you that will haunt you for a lifetime, Yugeon-ah. What do you think?"

"....."

"How many times do I have to rape you before you are completely broken."

"Heueub, cough!"

Once again, his fingers were jammed into his mouth. This time it was his index and middle fingers. He ran his fingers over each and every molar and fang, tangling his tongue between them and rubbing it playfully. 

"Your mouth is narrow. Lips are small too, and if I poke it wrong, it might tear."

Yugeon's lightly furred cheeks were puffed out gently just enough that his fingers could be seen from the outside, twitching. His throat rose and fell, swallowing saliva accumulated on the back of his tongue.

"Here..."

He felt around the flesh on the insides of his soft cheeks, then pressed down on the narrowing and softening of his palate. 

"I think it'd be nice if I shove a dick in here and stuff it whole."

A gagging sound came from his throat. Yugeon's shoulders shook up and down. Tears pooled in the corners of his bloodshot eyes. But there was no sign of the fingers coming out.

"What do you think, Taein-ssi?"

Shinje asked, still stirring Yugeon's mouth.

"I don't think he will be able to swallow even half of it without gagging"

"Isn't it natural to gag and drool because you can't swallow it?"

"I don't like it because it's dirty."

"Again, your taste is boring."

"It's better than being overly perverted."

The conversation rumbled above Yugeon's painfully panting head. Yugeon stretched out his arm to push Shinje away. Taein grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him backward. A groan that couldn't come out broke in his throat. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth and down his chin.

Ashes fell from the lone burning cigarette. Shinje let out a brief exclamation and flicked his fingertips to finish off the ash as if he had totally forgotten about the cigarette. He pulled his fingers out and offered the half-burnt cigarette to Yugeon instead. Yugeon clumsily bit the end of the cigarette. Shinje gently stroked Yugeon's head as he looked up at him in a daze.

"Good boy. Hold this for a minute."

"Ugh..."

Yugeon stopped breathing sharply. Instead of the acrid and musty odor of regular cigarettes, there was a strange smell coming out of it. It was strangely fragrant, almost repulsive. It wasn't the usual tobacco, not even the cheap marijuana that low-rank Hunters often smoked to drown out their pain. He didn't know what it was, but he felt like it was something that shouldn't be smoked carelessly. 

Yugeon spat out the cigarette, but Shinje was faster than him. The hand that had been gently stroking his hair changed suddenly, grabbed his hair and jerked it back sharply.

"Eug... ah!"

His mouth dropped open as the pain ripped through his scalp. The cigarette butt with tooth marks on the filter part fell. However, it was after he had already reflexively inhaled a few puffs of smoke.

Shinje's cigarettes were for S-class Awakened, especially those who had gone so long without guiding and those who had already developed a tolerance to the drug. It was too strong for Yugeon. Less than a puff was enough to cloud his judgment. 

The drug worked too quickly. Flames burned from the nose and throat down his windpipe. It was a deathly cold fire. Frozen acidic flames seemed to corrode his respiratory tract and lungs.

"Heug, keug, no, ugh, no!"

Yugeon writhed as if in a seizure. His arms flailed in Taein's grasp, and even though he was on his knees on the floor, his body heaved, trying to break free somehow. With how desperately he was struggling, his wrists were quickly covered in scratches, and his knees stained black and blue. His vision quickly blurred. The ceiling fell and the floor rose. He couldn't even see Shinje properly who was just right in front of him.

"Ah..... heug, ugh, ahh..."

Yugeon's weak voice leaked out of him unbidden. Shinje approached, stomping the cigarette butt rolling on the floor with his shoe, extinguishing the embers.

Without hesitation, he dropped to one knee on the floor littered with cigarette ashes, pulled Yugeon from the back of his head and kissed him like he was taking a bite. He devoured the food he had been saving up for a while, not eating deliberately, taking his sweet time. His tongue squirmed through Yugeon's lips and gulped down the feverish tongue. The flesh in his wet mouth was rubbed against his fingers to the point where it was already soaking wet.

"Mm-hmm..... ah..."

The guiding flowed out with the force of a suddenly pulled plug at the bottom of a bathtub full of water. The nerves in his body whirled. The drug had dulled all his senses, leaving only the pleasure keenly alive.  Even that felt chillingly good right now. A moan escaped Yugeon's blocked mouth.

The response was more enthusiastic than he'd expected. Yugeon had lunged at him like a child sucking on a bottle, but he was satisfied with it nonetheless. Shinje's hand, which had been cupping Yugeon's cheeks so lovingly, slid downward. Without breaking the kiss, he traced the outline of a hard collarbone with his fingertips. He stroked down his chest and pinched the nipple between his fingers, twisting it lightly.

"Ah!"

Yugeon's waist trembled. Shinje flicked the tip of his nipples back and forth. It didn't take long for his nipples to throb and perk with blood. His cock had peeked out from between his thighs, which were pressed tightly together as he knelt. Terrible shame flushed through his whole body.

Yugeon pulled himself backward, but he didn't get far before he bumped into an obstacle, a man's chest, hard as a wall, behind his back. And that wasn't all. An erection was pressing against Yugeon's buttocks over the neatly ironed suit pants. He thought it might even tear through the few layers of thin fabric and penetrate him.

Yugeon tried to turn away, but before he could, Taein's arms tightened around his waist. As if to say, don't do nonsense.

"Ugh..."

Yugeon groaned, and Shinje shoved his tongue deeper when his lips parted. His hot, melting tongue swirled around his, and from his lips to the inside of his throat, without letting him take a single breath. His body squirmed on the cold floor, while his trembling body gradually warmed up.

Shinje's hair, which had been neatly arranged, was also disheveled from dragging Yugeon close and kissing him passionately. Nostrils crossed, foreheads touched, and differently colored bangs rustled and shuffled. Lips pressed together barely parted. Later, in a moment of lucidity, Yugeon reached out and grabbed Shinje's shirt collar. His eyes had glazed over, and his tongue struggled to move. 

"Fuck, what did you feed me... ugh."

"I told you not to use nasty words like that."

"You're really, ugh, I will kill you..."

"Oh... Scary."

Shinje pressed his forehead against Yugeon's sweat soaked forehead and smiled. His white cheeks were flushed red, like a flower in full bloom. Was it because of the guiding or the guide himself?

"Please cut me some slack because I'm pretty. Yes?"

Yugeon was stunned, even as he was dazed. What did he just say?

"Taein-ssi, don't just sit there and please cooperate."

The two men's eyes met over Yugeon's shoulder. Taein let out a small sigh. For the first time, his body, firmly fixed like a rock, moved. He looked down at Yugeon, who had collapsed onto his chest. He had been instructed to cooperate, but he had no intention of biting, sucking and tangling up with fervor like Shinje did. It was unpleasant just to imagine.

He didn't have any particular feelings for Baek Yugeon himself. To be honest, he felt a little sorry for him as he was struggling at such a young age. But he hated Guide Baek Yugeon. His feelings for that person were disgust mixed with hatred. It wasn't just him. For Taein, all the guides were the same.

In actuality, there was something he hated even more than the guides. It was no other than himself. How inferior and ugly was it to be a creature who couldn't even live a proper life without clinging to a guide and begging for mercy. Even being a parasite would be better off. 

Taein's gloved hands spread Yugeon's thighs apart. The action was not rough, but not soft either, it was an unfeeling touch as if he was simply handling an object. Yugeon's dick was already half hard between them. Taein resisted the urge to frown and reached out, reluctantly, to wrap his hand around the shaft. It was a relief to touch it over his gloves. 

"Ugh!"

A reddish-brown glans peeked out of the black leather glove. With his thumb, he gently rounded the dent at the tip, smearing some of the fluids, then flicked the length down and back up. 

"Ugh, heug, stop."

Yugeon's voice cracked. He tried to pull himself up and away from him, but couldn't, with his legs shaking after he had been put on his knees for too long. Taein, who was watching the struggle, grabbed Yugeon's waist, lifted him up, and sat him on his thigh.

"Guide Baek Yugeon, relax. It will be a waste of time if you resist."

He flicked the back of his hand against Yugeon's stiffened inner thigh, close to his groin. His now fully erect cock jerked with the movement, dripping wet. 

"I don't want to do this for long either, so let's not drag it out and get it over with."

With those words, Taein shut his mouth and focused only on what he had to do. With mindless, mechanical movements, he stroked, pinched, and fondled his cock, his gloves gradually becoming drenched with precum. 

"Heug! Ugh! Heu! Ah! Ah...!"

Yugeon's response was clumsy and honest, even considering the drug's strength. As Shinje said, he wondered if Baek Yugeon had ever masturbated properly, let alone had sex. Every time he stroked his cock, his back arched uncontrollably and his hips bucked involuntarily. 

Taein could only see the back of Yugeon's head. His reddened ears and nape peeked out from beneath his coal-black hair. Whenever Yugeon recklessly twisted and squirmed at the waist, Taein's cock behind him throbbed and jerked in response. The buckles and zippers pulled taut. His underwear felt damp from precum dribbling out. However, Taein ignored the changes in his body with a stony face. 

Shinje grabbed Yugeon's nipple and twisted it. He just touched it a little, but it turned red and hardened easily. A small scream that sounded like weeping leaked out.

"I sucked your lips, touched your nipples, and I got Taein-ssi touching you in the front, so where does that leave?"

He threw a question to himself as he didn't really expect an answer, and Shinje pushed Yugeon's flimsy thighs apart with his knees. His kneeling, trembling bare legs spread even wider, and he groped further down than Taein's hand, one hand gripping Yugeon's shoulder. The hole between his nicely shaped, firm buttocks was tightly closed without a trace of wetness. 

"Heug..."

A place where no one had ever touched before was caressed. Yugeon squirmed in fright. However, his protests were muffled by a firm grip on his shoulders. 

"He's too tight. I can't even put a single finger in. I think it might bleed if I just force it in. Your ex-partner is really something. How did he manage to restrain himself all these years without messing with this?"

Taein raised his eyebrows as if he'd heard something unpleasant.

"I heard it was his blood sibling."

"Since when did that kind of thing matter between an Awakened and a Guide? I thought Taein-ssi best knows that when you get so desperate for guiding, your eyes see nothing, not a parent, a child, or a sibling."

"....."

The face of the man who looked like a stone Buddha finally showed a hint of anger. The hand that had been rubbing Yugeon's cock suddenly got more forceful.

"Ugh, ah... heug!"

Yugeon's spine stiffened with pain. Sweat beaded from the back of his trembling neck. Looking down at him, Taein slowly relaxed his strength. As if to soothe Yugeon, he gently rolled his flushed cock in the palm of his hand, and soon a gasping moan escaped him again. It was not a moan to seduce someone, but more like the breathing of a wounded animal.

"No bloodshed. Are you trying to make the guide you've been looking for so long to fall sick in one day?"

"What does it matter if I kill the guide, Taein-ssi? .....Yes, that's right. Good boy."

Shinje shrugged off Taein's words coldly, and gently stroked Yugeon's head like he was playing with a pet. He lightly rubbed the tip of his nose against Yugeon's sweat-soaked forehead. Contrary to his gentle soothing voice, he was still groping the hole below.

"Heesu's been making a fuss since last night because he wants to see the new guide. You should at least let him make a good first impression. Or at least use some lube."

"Do I have to? Why? Can't I just shove it in and make it sting."

Shinje rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Taein-ssi, your handjob must not be that good? It's taking too long."

The uncomfortable look on Taein's face vanished again. He even let go of the hand that was holding Yugeon's wrist, and concentrated on caressing him with both hands. With one hand, he circled the glans between his thumb and forefinger and rubbed it. He used his gloved fingertips to lightly poked the tip. He wrapped the entire length with his other hand and stroked it hard and fast. Clear fluid dripped down the back of Taein's hand.

Yugeon's eyes blurred again even as he struggled to focus. The jet-black eyelashes that hung over his half-closed eyes fluttered. He was so focused on the sensation of his cock being rubbed that he didn't even feel Shinje's fingers digging into his hole. 

"Huh, ah, s, stop, eug, heueug!"

The moans grew higher and higher. Yugeon no longer seemed to know where he was anymore, or who was doing what to him. He thrusted his pelvis up and tightened his thighs around Shinje's forearms, buried between his legs. 

Hateful, disgusting, pitiful guide. He wondered if he'd known if he'd end up like this when he'd stood in that narrow, dirty alley a few hours ago and followed him to the car. If only he'd known? Would he have followed him even if he had? Taein bit his lower lip. He wrapped his arms around Yugeon, who had become stiff from exertion, trapping him tightly in his arms and spurring him on.

"Haag, ah, ah!"

Yugeon's cock, wrapped in a thin skin, twitched. He was close. Yugeon finally stopped his meaningless struggle and opened his eyes. His glans throbbed painfully, faintly red, and dripping precum as it was rubbed and fondled by a large hand. 

"Ah...!"

Yugeon's head snapped up. The back of his head smacked onto Taein's shoulder, thick black hair rubbing against his neck exposed through the collar of his sweatshirt. Yugeon's body scent wafted from the rising body temperature. The young man, who was likened to a wild animal that had been captured and brought into captivity, smelled like soap and baby powder. It did not suit him.

"Ah..... ah, heug..... heueug..."

Somewhere in his lower belly, a crushing heat pooled at the root of his cock, then spurted out through his urethra. Yugeon couldn't even moan properly, his mouth open and trembling as he came. The thick liquid sprayed half onto his chest and stomach, half onto the back of Taein's hand, and then dripped down, pooling on the smooth marble floor. 

Taein creased his brows. The feeling of someone else's semen on his hand, even if it was on a glove, was terribly unpleasant, especially if it was a guide's. He wanted to take off his gloves right away, throw them in the trash, and take a long, long shower.

Shinje laughed silently when he saw his expression. He reached out, swept Yugeon's chest and stomach as if waiting. His long, white fingers were drenched in cum, running down the back of his hand. He lifted his hand and licked the cum off. Even though he looked as if he wouldn't put anything in his mouth unless it was a dish prepared by the chef of a high-end restaurant.

"It was a lot. And tastes good... well, it's nice to see you healthy."

He spoke generously of Yugeon's semen. It was a comment that would have made Yugeon grit his teeth in disgust and shame if he had heard it with a sound mind. Currently barely hanging on Taein's arms, cheeks flushed and eyes wide, he couldn't do so. 

Shinje thrusted his cum-soaked, glistening middle finger back into his hole. The finger slid in easily this time thanks to slippery cum like it hadn't been before. 

"Heueug, d, don't..."

"You need to get used to this. You'll be taking in even bigger things than this in the future."

The knuckles were caught on the tight entrance. He lightly patted his twitching buttocks and pushed in with force. Several times, his middle finger slammed into the narrow inner walls.

"Ack…!"

Yugeon's insides were very stiff. The soft inner walls clamped down tightly on Shinje's finger. He didn't seem to be consciously tightening down on it, but merely recoiling at the sensation of a foreign object poking in. 

The whole finger probed inside without mercy. He rubbed his own semen on the inner walls, then gently scraped and tugged around. Without giving Yugeon a chance to adjust to his middle finger, he tucked the index finger in. With two fingers, Shinje pressed at one place, spun around and scratched the other. He tried spreading his index and middle fingers apart like a pair of scissors. 

"Ah...... heug."

Yugeon's stomach clenched painfully at the feeling of his insides being forcibly opened up. He couldn't even open his eyes, breathing hard, desperately clutching Taein's arm over his shirt as if telling him to stop. It seemed that he could no longer tell if it was Shinje or Taein who was digging his insides. The crisp black dress shirt crumpled in his hands. 

Shinje snapped his fingers back together, and the hole puckered out with a wet sound. He pulled them out once, then plunged them deep back in, until the joint at the bottom of his fingers were pressed into the hole. He flicked his fingertips inside, and pressed hard. 

"Haeug!"

Suddenly, Yugeon's body jerked violently. His grip on Shinje's fingers tightened to the point of being numb. Beneath his slim belly, where his abs were vaguely outlined by the strain, his cock that had already gone limp from the climax before was half-erect again. Taein reached out and grabbed it as if possessed. 

Shinje deftly unbuttoned his shirt with one hand and rolled his sleeves up his forearms. He stopped groping and fondling around here and there, and began thrusting only back and forth. His arms became muscular and defined as he quickly repeated the same motion. 

Puck, puck, puck. Two straight fingers slammed in and out of his hole in quick succession. At the same time, a cum-slicked gloved hand was also palming his cock. There was a loud squelch as it bobbed up and down. It was punctuated by breathless moans. 

"Uh, eung, ah... ah! ah! ah!"

Shinje thrusted his fingers inside Yugeon as if he was shoving a dick in. He moved his fingers around, imagining how he would with his cock, where to slam it against the ever-tightening and loosening inner walls to make him cum, what it would feel like to rut against the soft insides where his fingers couldn't reach. 

When he took out the fingers, the red rim puckered out slightly. Applied more force and inserted again. In such a brief moment, his hole closed back tightly, so he had to pry open the crack again. When he shook off the pressure and shoved back in, he felt the firm and smooth mucous membrane clamp down on his fingers. 

"Who do you like better? Hm, Yugeon-ah? Front or back?

Shinje asked. With each deep thrust inside, his palm slammed against his hips, making a slapping sound.

"Heueueu......."

The answer came back in the form of broken sobs. His red, wet lips, intermittently quivering, reminded him of the hole he was now digging. He's pretty screwed. Next time, he'll have to stick it in his mouth.

"If you say the front is better, I'll be a little disappointed."

As he spoke, Shinje leaned in close. He burrowed between Yugeon's helplessly spread thighs, pulled his calves together, and wrapped his legs around his waist. The outline of his cock, bulging through his pants, pressed threateningly against Yugeon's groin. He felt a bit sorry for the bruises on Yugeon's knees.

".....because you're going to get fucked by me from the back from now on."

Fingers bent like rakes scraped across the inner walls and pressed down the prostate. It was the final blow that burst the dam. The searing heat spread uncontrollably. It was a bone-deep pleasure that bordered on pain. Yugeon's thighs that had clumsily wrapped around his waist twitched fitfully, and then stiffened. The tip of his toes in the air turned white and curled up.

"Cough, eueug, heug!"

Sandwiched between the two men, Yugeon swallowed one breath at a time, his breaths shaky. The corners of his tightly closed eyes were wet, and veins stood on his throat. His cock, painfully hardened to the limit, throbbed in Taein's hand. Each time, a gush of semen spurted out and ran down the length. 

"....."

Yugeon tossed his head around as his climax raged. His tousled hair kept tickling Taein's neck. It felt terribly unpleasant. Taein grabbed Yugeon's chin on impulse, and jerked his head to the side. Obviously, it was only to move his head, but then..... in the next moment, he was kissing Yugeon. Yugeon's mouth was helplessly open as he had just experienced the peak. The insides of his mouth was slick and slippery. His tongue, the roof of his mouth, and the insides of his cheeks were burning hot. It was strangely sweet. Taein was stubbornly reluctant to make physical contact with the guide. It wasn't that extremely difficult for him to find a guide like Shinje was, but he himself was not really willing to receive guiding. He lived on drugs day by day, while looking like an ascetic monk who would abhor illegal substances.

The guiding that he received then was dangerously dizzying. He could only compare it to passing a cigarette to a smoker who was going through terrible withdrawal symptoms, or serving a sacramental feast before the eyes of a man who had been starving for ten days. It was a pleasure a thousandfold. Shinje's compatibility rate with other guides never exceeded two percent. So, what was the compatibility rate with Yugeon? Ten percent? Twenty percent? More? He didn't know. He couldn't even guess. 

There'd never been a guide like this before. Did his older brother keep such a person by his side 24 hours a day? Living a carefree life, not knowing and not needing to know how unguided Awakened people were going mad with every passing minute. 

If it was just an F-class person, just holding hands or hugging over clothes would have been enough to have a guiding effect. No, rather, he would have seen heaven if they had had sex. That person was going to hog such a person all his life? An irrational jealousy surged through his entire body. 

Squeezing Yugeon's chin and kissing him, Taein naturally became curious. Is this how his insides felt like? What would it be like to shove his dick in his hole instead of a tongue in his mouth? The moment he thought that far, he immediately came to his senses. Realizing what he had been doing, he pulled his lips away as if he had been burned. Disgust rose for the person he had just been kissing, and with himself. 

"Heueug, heog. Eug.....!"

As soon as he let go, Yugeon fell to the floor, sprawling helplessly on his back, and gasping in pain. His chest heaved precariously, and even his hands were shaking like a leaf, not to mention his battered legs. It was clearly a side effect of drug overdose. 

"Didn't you tell me not to make the guide sick on the first day?"

Shinje tossed the question, feigning lightness. His tone was crisp, and sounded like he was joking around, but there was no smile on his face at all. His eyes, hiding madness beneath the beautiful appearance, were chillingly cold. 

"I apologize."

Shinje got up and lightly tapped Yugeon's thigh with his shoes. As if checking to see if he was alive or dead.

"Get someone to clean this up. Bring him to his room, wash him well and get him treated. Get some pretty clothes for him, including a uniform. Don't let him walk around like he's been rolling around and eating on the streets while he's the exclusive guide for Erewhon Team 1."

"Yes."

Shinje left after saying what he had to say. His demeanor was hard to believe for someone who had eagerly pounced at Yugeon, biting and sucking his tongue. 

Taein pulled off his gloves, which were covered with all sorts of bodily fluids. He took out his cell phone and was about to call a staff member when he stopped himself as if he suddenly remembered something. He opened the collar of his shirt slightly and peered inside. His chest, which had been a horrible wretched mess from the self-inflicted wounds he'd made whenever he couldn't handle the mania and pain, was now completely healed.

The wounds had disappeared without a trace, but self-loathing was newly engraved in its place.

Unconscious, Yugeon was carried to an unknown place by a stranger. His memories of being caught between Shinje and Taein and being subjected to shocking acts blurred like a haphazardly mixed palette. He was too drugged to think about anything else. 

A single puff of cigarette he accidentally inhaled had messed up his body. The roof of his mouth and windpipe were all torn apart along the path of the fragrant and poisonous smoke. His head pounded, his stomach nauseous, and a terrible chill engulfed his entire body.

This was too much to call it a drug. It was deadly poison. He remembered the image of Shinje, smiling casually with a cigarette that could easily send Yugeon to his grave in his mouth. If he could smoke this kind of stuff with ease, how many years of excruciating pain must he have suffered to make this a habit. 

He woke up in a dark and unfamiliar room. He was wrapped in the coziest bed he'd ever laid in, and both the sheets and the pillows smelled good. He felt like he was floating endlessly in the clouds. It was a world away from the cheap bed in their dilapidated studio apartment that squeaked with every inhale and exhale. 

"....."

Rustle. He felt another presence in the room. Yugeon blinked his stiff eyes a few times and looked around. There was someone else in the darkened room with all the lights off. He couldn't tell who it was. It was dark everywhere, and all he could make out was a silhouette, a black mass.

The mysterious person did nothing. They had entered Yugeon's room, came to his bedside, didn't speak to him, didn't touch him, just stood there, unmoving. Who was it? Just as he was getting scared, they moved a little. There was a faint gurgling sound. It was the sound of a water bottle being shaken. 

The moment he recognized the existence of water, his forgotten thirst surged. It was so intense, that he wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. His parched airway rose and fell with each breath. His throat felt like it was burning. 

He thought he'd die if he couldn't get some water right away. Still lying on his bed, his head turned toward the other person. Yugeon muttered hoarsely.

"Water....."

Just that one syllable alone was like a stabbing pain in his throat. Normally, he would never have begged a strange person whom he didn't even recognize, but he hadn't entirely regained his reason at the moment to think more of the situation.

"Do you want to drink water?"

It was the voice he had never heard before. It was neither Shinje nor Taein. The man's voice was soft and gentle, but also sounded a little childish.

"....."

Yugeon gasped for air and nodded. He didn't even have the strength to reject the stranger. From beyond the darkness, the other person stifled a giggle.

"My name is Heesu. Kwon Heesu. Twenty this year."

The timing couldn't have been better. What kind of self-introduction was it, out of nowhere, and in front of a thirsty patient?

"Say my name, hyung. Then I'll let you drink."

Yugeon twisted his face still. What the hell was this about? He tried to glare at his opponent, but the room was too dark to see his face.

"Can't you at least do that? I've been waiting to say hello to hyung."

Heesu immediately became sullen. The way he didn't hide his emotions was adorable. However, Yugeon remained tense. This was Erewhon, a place infested with people who were still alive, but whose kernels had long since gone bad. No matter how cute he was acting, the man in front of him was already far from a ‘normal, cute boy’ as long as he was here. 

Should he call his name or not? Yugeon was torn for a moment. He didn't want to give in to the other person's demands, but he also couldn't ignore the consequences of not doing so. He just wanted to yell ‘fuck off’ at this person..... but given the precedent set by Shinje and Taein, there was a good chance it might backfire.

"Kwon, Heesu."

Enduring the burning pain in his throat, Yugeon licked his dry lips. His voice was barely audible. He'd gotten his wish, but Heesu showed no sign of letting him drink. Instead, he hid the water bottle he was holding behind his back.

"What's hyung's name?"

"Are you asking because you really don't know?"

The Hunters from Erewhon and the Espers from the Awakening Management Headquarters all knew Yugeon's personal details, which he had never revealed before. Curiously, he had also never officially belonged with any group, and had no internet presence whatsoever. 

Heesu in front of him must have already known enough that he had deliberately come to this room where Yugeon was located and was already calling him ‘hyung’. It was abominable, pretending not to know and asking him his name.

"I know, I know. I've read your profile more than 30 times. I've memorized your height, weight, foot size, date of birth, zodiac sign, and blood type. Oh, I also memorized your lunar birthday, just in case."

"........"

"But I still want to hear it from you, hyung. That's what introductions are for, right? That's what makes them meaningful."

It was a spectacle. Let's just say that his date of birth and blood type were easy enough to find out, since he'd submitted them himself when he registered at the center as a Guide. Height? Weight? Foot size? How the hell did they get all that information? Did they secretly do a physical examination while he was passed out?

At this point, he could no longer stay still listening to all that. Yugeon bit his lower lip and pushed himself up. His legs, which were forced to wrap around Shinje's waist trembled with pain, and his wrists, which were tightly gripped by Taein's large hands, ached to death. His teeth gnashed together.

He reached out his hand with difficulty, towards a small LED light that had been blinking faintly since a while ago showing a switch. Click. The bedside mood light was turned on. The face of the stranger was revealed in the soft light.

Heesu was standing by Yugeon's bed, his hand holding the water bottle dangling casually. He looked much more normal than he had imagined after hearing only his voice in the darkness. It was rather disconcerting to see that he didn't look like a crazy person who had been talking nonsense about lunar birthdays to the person he just met for the first time.

A soft-looking round-neck knit, cotton pants, slippers on his bare feet, and brown hair that covered his forehead. He looked like a painter's muse standing in front of a canvas. There was a mole on the bridge of his nose, lit by a pale orange glow. Even it looked as if it had been painstakingly captured by the painter.

"Never mind."

"What?"

"Water, that's it."

Yugeon decided to give up the water. Although his throat was terribly dry, he wasn't desperate enough to dance to Heesu's tune. It wasn't as if he could only get water from Heesu's bottle. He could always get it somewhere else later. If all else failed, he would just drunk from the tap in the bathroom sink. 

"Are you really not going to drink?"

"Yes."

"Really? I worked hard getting it for you hyung. I put my heart and soul into the bottle..."

"I said I don't need it."

Heesu immediately felt depressed again. He took a step closer and held out the water bottle. Did he decide to quit now because the prank got boring? Yugeon absentmindedly reached for the water bottle. 

"Hyung, ah."

Heesu flicked the bottle back. Yugeon's hand slashed aimlessly in the air.

"Oh, please."

"What?"

"Let me feed you."

"Ha..."

Yugeon burst out laughing hysterically. His whole body ached like he'd been beaten with an iron club. He was still dizzy and his vision was fluctuating. He didn't even know what the hell he was doing. He just wanted to give it all up.

"Let's stop."

Heesu laughed softly.

"No? Drink. Hyung is thirsty."

The hand that reached out of nowhere grabbed the back of his neck. Heesu's hands, which seemed more suited to writing, drawing and playing musical instruments than fighting, were surprisingly strong. A brief groan broke out from Yugeon.

"Ugh...!"

Pushing the cap off the water bottle with one thumb, Heesu took a moment to appreciate Yugeon's face in his grasp. His stoic face had cracked despite his sharp words. His dark eyes darted back and forth, unable to hide his panic. Heesu swallowed back a laugh. Ah fuck, those hyungs. If the new guide was going to look like this, they should have told him sooner.

"Drink. Hyung is thirsty."

He repeated the same words without changing his expression. The mouth of the bottle was shoved between his slightly parted lips. Yugeon made a sound like a gasp, and the bottle was then tilted and the water poured in.

"Eugh! Heuheub, ug… keug!"

With his head tilted back by force, Yugeon's throat rose and fell steeply. A trickle of water leaked from the edge of the lips and ran down.

"Drink more."

A constant gush of cold war filled his throat. The tip of his nose was burning, and he couldn't breathe properly. I'm going to die. I have to push him away. But he didn't have any strength in his entire body.

"Drink more."

He grabbed Yugeon by the scruff of his neck, and turned his head slightly to whisper. It was like angling himself just before a kiss. Heesu's voice sounded the same no matter how many times it was repeated.

"Drink more."

Yugeon's hand, which had been wandering desperately on the blanket, scratching, suddenly froze. And slowly climbed up towards the water bottle. Against his will, Yugeon grabbed the water bottle with shaking hands. The surface of the water churned and gurgled.

At first glance from a distance, it would appear that he was drinking water voluntarily. But he was in a state of panic and unable to do anything. He never thought losing control of his own body would be so terrifying. He was more afraid now than when he was being nearly beaten to death, more afraid than when he was being humiliated.

As his vision blurred to darkness, the pieces of the puzzle were came together one by one. Kwon Heesu was an Awakened. Awakened people with mental abilities were especially rare compared to those with physical talents, so they were usually treated with great respect. It was not surprising that there was at least one Hunter with psychic abilities in Erewhon, where all sorts of talents gather.

The conclusion wasn't hard to come to. It must be hypnosis, and mental manipulation. Then came the eerie thought. What if Heesu had ordered something else instead of ordering him to drink water? He could have ordered him to hold his breath, and Yugeon would have died without ever putting up a proper fight. The cause of death would be a murder under the guise of suicide.

A piercing tinnitus rang in his ear. His consciousness had become blurred by the constant stream of water that kept running down his nose and into his mouth.

"Keug! Heug, keog, keuheug!"

Heesu let go of his hand and stepped back. The water bottle, with little of its contents left, rolled on the blanket that was covering Yugeon's lower body.

"I'm sorry, hyung. Did it hurt a lot? The blanket is all wet. Oh no, your clothes are wet too. I'll wipe it off right away."

Yugeon bowed his head and coughed repeatedly. His shoulders and back were heaving fitfully. Water trickled down the ends of his wet black hair and across his jawline.

"I couldn't help myself. Hyung kept pushing me away, so I got a little upset..... Ah, I shouldn't be like this from the first meeting. I even promised myself I wouldn't break it this time and take good care of it."

Yugeon raised his head and glared at him. His bloodshot eyes were red enough to be seen under dim lighting. Underneath, it was worse. His nose, cheeks, and lips were drenched as if he had just washed his face. Heesu reached out, as if mesmerized, and swiped the corner of his eye with his thumb. Yugeon gritted his teeth and slapped it away. It should have hurt because he hit him with all his strength, but Heesu didn't even blink an eye.

"You bastards. What the hell are you guys up to? What do you want from me?"

"Hyung?"

"You guys are going to play with me until I die, and then if I die, aren't you going to switch to another guide? And if that guide dies, you are switching to another one, right?"

"....."

"Is that fun? Is it fun fucking with someone like this, you fucking bastards?"

There was anger in Yugeon's voice, pouring out sharp words between his gasping rough breaths. It was the anger of the weak who had to endure injustice. Heesu opened his eyes wide and listened to him. His lips slightly parted and his eyes blinked in rapid succession. He looked serious. Then he smiled brightly, his eyes curved to crescents.

"Of course, it's fun."

Yugeon was at a loss for words. For some unknown reason, his heart tightened. He could not even get angrier.

"It's fun, but we didn't bring you here just to have fun."

"Then?"

"Didn't you hear it from the leader? Hyung is supposed to die with us. That's what you are here for."

Yugeon doubted his ears. It was a shockingly depressing story. It wasn't something that should come out of someone's mouth in such a nonchalant way.

"That's the goal of our leader's life. Kill them all, and then kill himself. I honestly don't get it, but..... he's a little hard to understand, day in and day out. I don't really want to understand him."

He then tried to touch Yugeon's cheek with a smile on his face.

"You're the only one who needs to understand, and I want to understand you. I want hyung to understand me, too. Yeah? Let's take some time to get to know each other."

Yugeon shook his head expressionlessly, avoiding his touch.

"What does that mean?"

"To understand each other? Well..... First we lie down together and....."

"He's going to kill them all and then kill himself."

"....."

Heesu remained silent. He decided to pretend not to notice the brief change in his expression. Instead of answering, he just smiled quietly.

"Anyway, welcome to Erewhon."

He then called his name. Naturally, as if he had always known it from the beginning.

"Please take care of me, Yugeon hyung."

The voice of the man who was not here was overlaid on top of it.

Be a guide to Erewhon and obey my orders. Endure anything that comes to you, and..... follow me into the gates.

Shinje was searching for a giant mutant floating in the sky. Relentlessly, even as he was half-crazed from the side effects. He called the mutant ‘Almuten’, and asked Yugeon if he had seen it. He also said that one day it would come back for Yugeon again.

He dared to take Yugeon into the gates where even many experienced Hunters would die like flies. As if there was an enemy out there..... that could only be killed by doing so, an enemy that must be put to death, even if it meant risking his own life. 

Yugeon felt like he no longer needed an answer from Heesu to understand what he meant.