Chapter 243

It went beyond just the moments I consciously noticed—if you included all the cycles I’d seen but couldn’t remember, I’d probably been waiting for him for quite a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) long time.

What had it felt like when I first saw Kwon Taehan?

For “me,” it was definitely the first time seeing him, and yet he hadn’t felt unfamiliar at all. Was it because I knew everything about Kwon Taehan?

‘Everything....’

I thought about Kwon Taehan for a moment, then met Joo Seowon’s eyes again. He asked back, looking confused.

“Who... were you waiting for?”

“I think I told you a few times.”

“.......”

It would’ve been ridiculous to tell Joo Seowon to dig up information on Kwon Taehan. Normally, Kwon Taehan would’ve come looking for Joo Seowon first, so in a way the situation was completely flipped.

Inside that Dungeon, the moment Kwon Taehan saw me, he must’ve realized something about me had changed.

‘Was he confused?’

It would’ve been nice if I could know exactly what was going on inside his head. In that sense, it was a shame.

I sat on Joo Seowon’s bed and looked up at him.

“Did you look up all the articles this time? About the Dungeon incident.”

“...Yeah, I did. You suddenly disappeared... at first I thought you’d just gone into some low-rank Dungeon or something, and then what the fuck, you come out of an S-rank Dungeon. Do you have multiple lives? Ha....”

“Just one. If I die, that’s it.”

“What obvious crap are you—!”

Talking like this made me laugh. Yeah, having just one life was obviously normal... but there really was someone who acted like he had extras, probably because he regressed.

‘Honestly, I can’t say I don’t have that tendency either.’

I watched Joo Seowon getting all worked up without understanding anything, then snorted.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I asked if you looked everything up. Not just Guild Master Song, and not just about me.”

“...I looked up the Haeseong Guild Master and that new S-rank Hunter.”

“Yeah? Then this is easier.”

“The Haeseong Guild Master?”

“No. That new S-rank Hunter.”

When I corrected him, Joo Seowon’s movements froze.

“...You’ve been waiting for that person for a long time?”

“Yeah.”

“How would you even know a new S-rank would appear.... ...Precognition Skill?”

Instead of answering, I just smiled at him. Joo Seowon’s face instantly filled with confusion.

“Why were you waiting for that person so long? Someone you already knew? Or just because they’d help you in the future?”

“Both.”

“What kind of person are they?”

“A Hunter. They’re an S-rank Hunter.”

“No, I mean before that. They said they awakened this time. What were they before. You said you already knew them....”

Hmm, what had Kwon Taehan been before awakening?

I actually gave the pointless question some thought before answering.

“Before that? Probably just some loser.”

“What? What kind of— no, seriously, you’re impossible to talk to.”

“Seowon. That kind of thing isn’t very important.”

“If that kind of thing isn’t important, why am I supposed to investigate them?”

Sharp reaction. I sat there looking at him, then got up and stepped closer.

“I told you. The world’s going to end... and I’m preparing for that. I need him.”

“...Don’t come closer. Talk from there.”

“Why? Don’t want to.”

I didn’t have the slightest doubt that Joo Seowon still liked me. Just his reaction right now made it obvious.

That he felt some hurt and resentment too... well, that was fine. If it lasted a long time, it wouldn’t be great, but I could ease it some. And I knew that even that came from a kind of attachment.

I stepped closer and pressed in against Joo Seowon. As if he’d really meant it when he said don’t come closer, he took a step back.

‘Funny.’

I kept advancing anyway until Joo Seowon’s back hit the wall.

“Move....”

“Seowon.”

“.......”

“I... need him. Like I need Yehyun.”

And like I need you. But I didn’t bother adding that. Do Yehyun liked hearing that I needed him; Joo Seowon didn’t.

‘Such a pain in the ass.’

Joo Seowon’s gaze wavered at my words.

“What do you mean, you need him like Do Yehyun. You going to drag him into this house too?”

Well.... At some point in the past, I’d lived with Kwon Taehan too, but right now I already had two cohabitants. I had no intention of pulling Kwon Taehan in as well. For now, anyway.

‘Even if I told him to come now, he wouldn’t.’

Maybe because our bodies were so close, it was easy to catch even Joo Seowon’s slight reactions. Our height difference wasn’t big, so I could feel his breath.

I lowered my gaze a little and met his eyes.

“No.... Not that. You’d hate it.”

“.......”

“Seowon. Just because I told you to look into him doesn’t mean I want you to take an interest. You get what I mean?”

“You tell me to look into him and also not take interest?”

“I mean restrain your personal interest.”

Joo Seowon, who’d been oddly avoiding my gaze, snapped his head back toward me at that.

“Personal interest? What kind of bullshit is that. Like you’re... guarding your words.”

“That’s right.”

“What?”

“I’m always anxious, you know.... Worried you’ll get taken away.”

“.......”

“What if you go to whoever offers more money. We even signed a covenant... and you said you know how to break it. I don’t really have anything to rely on, do I?”

“...You know where my sister is. That’s why you made that covenant with me, wasn’t it.”

It wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t really feel how strong family bonds were, so calling it something to rely on felt weak.

Even though I knew Joo Seowon had searched for Joo Minha for so long in the original story.

“But that might not be enough.”

“What... it’s enough. And you’re too close, so....”

Right now, Kwon Taehan didn’t know Joo Minha’s location... but according to the original, if things moved with Kwon Taehan, Joo Seowon would end up meeting Joo Minha eventually.

And in this world, that so-called “plausibility”—the rule—seemed more important than expected.

‘That’s why I poked at the emotional side like this.’

Joo Seowon was weak to affection.

“Can I kiss you?”

“What?”

I cupped his chin and turned his face back toward me as he tried to push me away and avoid my gaze. Joo Seowon reacted like I’d just said something insane.

“What kind of nonsense— I said move.”

“You must’ve missed me.”

“Doing charity? Fuck off.”

“Really? I thought about you.”

“.......”

I slid the hand that held his chin up and fiddled with his ear. The piercing still set there kept catching lightly against my fingertips, making a strange sensation.

I pressed closer, leaving Joo Seowon no space to slip away.

“Can I kiss you?”

“...No. I don’t....”

I’d expected an answer like that. Instead of letting him finish, I tilted my head and found his lips.

Come to think of it, it’d been quite a while since I’d kissed Joo Seowon. I pushed into his mouth with my tongue and wrapped his tongue in a familiar motion.

“Mmh...!”

Maybe he wanted to resist—his hands on my shoulders pushed harder. Of course, not nearly enough to actually shove me away.

‘Pathetic.’

Can’t even push properly.

For a moment I thought about biting his lip or tongue, then changed my mind and slid the hand that had been at his ear down to cup his cheek. I bound his tongue softly, drew it in, brushed against it, licked along the roof of his mouth. A muffled sound spilled from Joo Seowon past our pressed lips.

When his tongue peeked out to meet mine and brushed my lips, I gently bit it with my teeth and let go.

By the time I licked along his lips, the strength had already drained from the hands that had been pushing at my shoulders.

When I pulled back, Joo Seowon’s face was noticeably redder than before. I studied his face quietly, then wiped the saliva at the corner of his mouth with my thumb and pushed it back between his lips.

“Why’re you drooling.”

“.......”

I rubbed his wet lips with my thumb a moment, then slowly let my hand fall.

“Thinking about it... you shove your lips at me whenever you feel like it, but when I say I will, you pull back. That’s annoying as hell.”

“.......”

“I even put up with you reporting me.... Right?”

“...I.”

“Yeah, you what?”

Joo Seowon said that much, then closed his mouth again. His flushed face looked like he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Move....”

“If you don’t like it, push me. I’ll let myself be pushed.”

When I tilted my head again, Joo Seowon flinched reflexively and squeezed his eyes shut. Instead of going for his lips, I brushed a light kiss to his cheek.

“Ah...!”

I pecked along his cheek and jaw, then lightly bit his neck. The hands gripping my shoulders tightened again. But this time it didn’t feel like he was trying to push me away....

I licked the spot I’d bitten, then pressed my lips there again. I could feel Joo Seowon’s body trembling faintly against the contact.

“S-Seo Jehyun....”

“What.”

“If it leaves a mark....”

“It won’t.”

“.......”

Weird thing to worry about.

I let out a small laugh and brushed my lips there once more.

When I pulled away, Joo Seowon’s face was even redder. I tapped his cheek lightly with the back of my hand and curled my lips.

“I don’t even know what you want... you’re not only like this with me....”

“Is that a problem?”

“Of course it...! I, with you....”

“With me?”

“.......”

“Say it, Seowon.”

But instead of answering, Joo Seowon crashed his lips into mine. I laughed as I received his surprisingly fervent kiss.

“Not answering with words....”

“.......”

“Then keep quiet.”

I pulled my lips away, grinning, and reached out to slide the lock on the door. Click—the latch engaging echoed by my ear.