“Hang on, I'll go put some clothes on.”
“...”
Holy shit.
What the fuck did I just see?
Mouth hanging open, Huiyeong blankly stared in the direction Shinyul had disappeared.
Back when he was still with the organization, Huiyeong had loved going to the bathhouse with the guys. Naturally, that always led to everyone showing off what they were packing, but he'd never once felt outmatched.
Damn, Boss, you're incredible down there too. A real man among men! The greatest of all!
Junsik, who had always looked up to him, never failed to shower him with ear-burning praise whenever he saw him naked.
Of course, Huiyeong had seen men bigger than himself before.
But what he'd just witnessed...
Blankly, he thought,
A python? A club? Wouldn't something that size be uncomfortable? Can he even wear pants?
Slowly, he lowered his gaze to his current body.
His frail frame looked like it was being swallowed whole by the fluffy yellow chick pajamas.
Until now, Huiyeong had been too annoyed by this weak body to examine it properly. He'd merely thought, Well, at least the pretty face came with all the necessary equipment, and left it at that.
It wasn't even his real body, after all.
But after witnessing something so absurd, he unconsciously stretched the waistband of his pants and peeked inside.
Mine's not exactly small either... but what I just saw was on a completely different level...
“Princess, what are you doing?”
“Ah, fuck! You scared the hell out of me!”
Startled, Huiyeong jumped.
Shinyul naturally pulled the trembling Huiyeong into his arms. Looking at the hand still clutching his waistband, he wore an amused grin.
“Aha...”
“W-What?! Don't you look down on your elders like that!”
Embarrassed, Huiyeong snapped at him out of nowhere.
Without a word, Shinyul sat directly on the floor beside the bed, looking up at Huiyeong. He rubbed his face against the soft yellow pajamas and gently patted Huiyeong's thigh.
“Huiyeong's still a baby, so it's okay if it's small.”
“The fuck are you talking about?! It's not small! Yours is a py—!”
“A py?”
“Ahem... never mind.”
Huiyeong abruptly turned his head away.
He had no desire to vigorously defend some random young man's junk, nor did he want to continue bickering with the ever-sly Shinyul.
Seriously...
It wasn't that he'd been rendered speechless by the size.
Damn it. Burned that image right into my eyes.
Scowling, Huiyeong looked at Shinyul's infuriatingly cheerful face.
There really wasn't a single flaw in the bastard...
Well.
Other than being completely insane.
Still, appearance-wise, he was flawless.
Too flawless.
Too impressive.
It didn't even make Huiyeong jealous.
Instead, he almost pitied the fact that such magnificent equipment would never get proper use.
...Or maybe not?
Maybe it was better that way.
Wouldn't the other person end up in the hospital?
Then again...
Did they do sex differently here?
Well, whatever.
He was a young guy in his prime, after all.
Seeing Huiyeong continuously tilting his head in thought, Shinyul laughed out loud as though he found him adorable.
That low chuckle immediately got on Huiyeong's nerves.
He shoved Shinyul's face away.
Apparently even that delighted him.
Shinyul caught Huiyeong's hand against his face and started tickling it.
Goosebumps erupted across Huiyeong's body.
Horrified, he desperately tried to pull his hand away, grunting with effort, but—as always—he couldn't overcome Shinyul's strength.
Staring at the still-grinning face before him in complete disgust, Huiyeong wondered,
He's got the face, he's got the dick... so what the hell is actually wrong with this bastard?
His thoughts drifted somewhere strange again.
What had they called it?
Sexual Guiding?
Anyone who ended up getting fucked by someone carrying that monstrous thing had his deepest sympathy.
Not that Huiyeong had any intention of doing the fucking himself.
Chuckling mockingly at the thought, he vigorously shook his head.
Who cared whether that idiot had sex or was a virgin front and back?
Meeting the eyes that stared up at him while resting against his thigh, Huiyeong narrowed his own.
Yeah.
This attitude.
Always lowering himself.
Always acting like one word from Huiyeong would be enough to make him wag his tail.
Pretending to be harmless.
That's exactly why Huiyeong had let his guard down.
He couldn't keep dancing to this brat's tune any longer while the kid hid his true intentions behind that innocent act, wagging his metaphorical tail while throwing him off with bizarre behavior.
Taking a deep breath, Huiyeong firmly grabbed Shinyul's chin with his free hand.
“Hey, Shinyul.”
“Yeah?”
Even in that humiliating position, Shinyul looked bright and carefree.
He seemed happy simply because they were touching.
His eyes curved into crescents as he smiled, rubbing his fingers slowly against Huiyeong's captured hand.
“Do I look like I've got a nice personality?”
“Not really.”
“...”
The immediate answer caught Huiyeong off guard.
The fuck? Usually it's Princess this, Baby that... but you're pretty clear-headed when it counts. Guess you're not completely insane after all.
Still gripping his chin, Huiyeong gave it a little shake.
“Exactly. So why does our little brat keep picking fights with an old man who's got a bad temper? Hm? Didn't you say you'd be screwed without this old man's Guiding? Then you should be lying flat on the ground like a dog, begging nicely, 'Please give me Guiding.' So why do you keep getting cocky? You wanna fucking die?”
“...”
Using Guiding as leverage to threaten an Esper was taboo.
It was one of the greatest taboos there was, because nothing provoked an Esper more violently than threatening the thing they depended on most.
An Esper threatened that way could lash out at their Guide, driven by their buried anxiety, obsession with Guiding, and fear of death, often leading to tragedy.
That was why both Guides and Espers considered it forbidden.
Besides, normal people didn't threaten someone by holding their life in their hands.
More importantly, Espers devoted themselves wholeheartedly to their Guides, making such situations almost impossible in the first place.
Usually, all a Guide had to do was make the slightest passing remark, and their Esper would gladly hand over heart, liver, and everything else.
Because the employees and Haram were perfectly normal people, they had overlooked Huiyeong's outrageous personality and never thought to explain any of this to him.
So Huiyeong had no idea.
Yet even after being casually threatened by the very person holding his lifeline, Shinyul simply blinked those bright golden eyes.
Patting his smooth cheek, Huiyeong asked again,
“Shinyul. You'll listen to Uncle from now on, right?”
“Why did Princess suddenly get angry?”
“The fuck? Are you deaf? Didn't I tell you to stop getting on my nerves?”
Speaking harshly, Huiyeong grabbed a fistful of Shinyul's still-damp hair without hesitation.
Even then, Shinyul obediently let him.
“Yes, Uncle.”
He answered meekly, smiling sweetly.
Seeing that smile, Huiyeong let out an incredulous laugh and shook his head by the hair.
“You... are you actually smart, or are you just missing a few screws?”
“I get it.”
“So if I make Uncle angry, you won't kiss me anymore.”
“What...?”
The fuck...
Well...
That wasn't technically wrong...
But...
That wasn't the point...
His words had somehow been transformed into something that sounded like lovers pouting at each other.
Huiyeong could only stare blankly.
Looking lovingly at his bewildered face, Shinyul took the hand gripping his hair with his free hand and intertwined their fingers.
“I don't know what made you angry, but I'll do better.”
“So don't be mad.”
“You're getting all worked up again.”
“No, that's not—”
“And we're going into a dungeon too. If Uncle won't kiss me anymore, I might really end up dying. I'd better behave even better from now on. Right?”
THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!
Faced with Shinyul gently trying to soothe him, Huiyeong's frustration finally overflowed.
“AAAAAH!”
He thrashed wildly, unable to contain his anger.
But no matter how hard he struggled, his restrained arms wouldn't budge.
Growing even angrier, he kicked Shinyul hard.
“Okay, okay. I'm sorry.”
“But Uncle gets angry every single day. I thought you just enjoyed being angry.”
“Y-You...! Ngh...!”
“Okay, okay.”
“Whoa... breathe. Breathe.”
Pulling the panting Huiyeong into his arms, Shinyul gently patted him like he was comforting a fussy child.
Huiyeong hated even that embrace.
He struggled desperately.
Of course, escape was impossible.
They always said you weren't supposed to deal with crazy people.
That bastard was exactly that.
Threats didn't work.
Violence didn't work.
Fuming, Huiyeong felt the strength gradually drain from his body.
Well... that attempt at establishing the pecking order went completely to shit.
***
The next day, just like always, Huiyeong arrived at the Center dangling from Shinyul's arms.
After shaking off the employees trying to follow him, he wandered around the spacious grounds until he found a bench.
Sitting there, he blankly contemplated the futility of life.
Winter had almost arrived.
He untied the beige scarf Shinyul had wrapped around him layer after layer, crumpled it into a pillow, flopped onto the bench, closed his eyes, and stretched out.
He was sick of everything.
Thinking about it...
Ever since waking up in this place, not a single thing had gone according to his own wishes.
Every time he barely managed to process one bizarre situation in this strange world, another wave would sweep him away, and before he knew it—
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Wait..."
Everything was already over.
Back when he'd had an intimidating body and face, brute force had solved every problem.
Now that force no longer worked...
The former gangster had absolutely no idea where to even begin dealing with this situation.
Everything collapsed before he even had time to try.
Even the brat he'd intended to get under control treated him like some helpless idiot and wasn't frightened even when threatened.
His pride took one hit after another, yet he had no solution.
Should I really just cut off his Guiding?
The malicious thought surged up for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
What had they called it again?
Berserk?
If it came to that...
He might actually have to sleep with another man.
Just imagining it terrified him.
Why the hell is life so damn hard?
He lived in a warm house.
He had food.
He wore brand-new clothes every day, even if they weren't his taste.
Whenever he had to walk more than a little, Shinyul carried him around like a servant.
As everyone kept saying...
He was living the life of a princess.
And yet mentally...
He was exhausted.
For the first time in his life, he found himself missing the days when he'd been nothing more than a low-ranking thug getting worked like a dog.
“Ah... I'd rather die than keep suffering like this...”
The one fortunate thing was that there was still hope of returning.
Earlier today, Assistant Manager Seong had hurriedly shared some good news in an attempt to cheer him up.
Once every few years, there was an international exchange event with foreign Espers.
The next one would be held next year.
Since winter had already begun, it didn't even seem that far away.
So Huiyeong kept telling himself,
Just endure a little longer.
Even if you keep getting pissed off.
Even if the stress drives you crazy.
Still, the anger bubbling up from deep inside refused to settle.
He let out a long, exasperated sigh.
Rolling over and opening his eyes, he noticed a tall figure approaching.
Seeing the broad frame, he sighed again.
Don't tell me that son of a bitch Han Shinyul couldn't even leave me alone for five minutes...
Then he realized...
It wasn't Shinyul.
Relieved that his brief moment of peace wouldn't be interrupted after all, Huiyeong started closing his eyes again.
Just then, a familiar voice cut sharply through the air.
“So where's Han Shinyul? Lying around by yourself again?”
Huiyeong slowly opened his eyes.
“So?”
“Learned some manners yet?”
Taeseong looked down at Huiyeong with a mocking sneer.
Ah... this little bastard.
I was already pissed off.
Perfect timing.