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“Imprinting…”
A faint voice murmured softly. Taebeom chewed on the same word with the tip of his tongue, resting his nose against his pale cheek.
As if intoxicated by the soft texture, he caressed the tender cheek with his nose and eyes. His trembling lips continued to whisper just one word.
“I want to do it.”
Siwoo, who had already made up his mind, whined for him to hurry. His face didn’t even seem to fully grasp what he was suggesting.
Imprinting was the heaviest and most enduring bond an Esper could impose on a guide. A promise that could not be broken until death. Therefore, one had to take enough time and make a decision after long contemplation. It shouldn’t be rushed in a state of intoxication like this.
“Leader, you’ll do it with me, right?”
Taking advice from those around him, he should have taken time to consider whether the other person was someone he could spend a lifetime with.
“I’ll guide you a lot.”
At least for a month, or no, at least a week…
“We can do this every day. Okay?”
Siwoo pulled his hips back and provocatively rolled his pelvis as if dancing seductively, stimulating Taebeom. He poked himself and gasped even louder, his breath wet. The black eyes watching him were filled with heat.
“Ugh, will you do it with another guide?”
After saying that, Siwoo seemed to feel bad, as a wrinkle formed on his forehead. Taebeom’s head, filled with waves of sensation, was bubbling without forming coherent thoughts. No matter how much he wiped it away, cold sweat kept accumulating endlessly.
His body was too hot. He wanted to quickly mark him before he melted away in the heat.
“Just do it with me.”
Siwoo pushed Taebeom’s shoulder, knocking him down, and climbed onto his body. Taebeom, who was clearly as excited as Siwoo, kept silent, which only made Siwoo more anxious.
Siwoo touched Taebeom’s firm abdomen and swayed his waist, enticing him. The instinct of a guide moved his body involuntarily. Everything he said and the expressions he made were not done in a sober state.
“Ah, Leader… Hah, hurry, answer me. Ugh—.”
Taebeom, who was just as out of his mind, was trapped by the word ‘Imprinting’ as if it were a constraint, unable to continue his words. Even when Siwoo urged him for an answer with his whole body, he could only mutter, “Imprinting…” It was like a broken machine.
However, the body receiving the guidance showed a clear reaction to the stimulation. As Siwoo, who was lying on top of him, shook his lower body, Taebeom began to thrust his hips up forcefully.
“Ugh!”
Siwoo’s body swayed backward, feeling as if his organs were lifting. He steadied himself, gripping Taebeom’s strong thighs before Taebeom could catch him.
Taebeom’s gaze was drawn to Siwoo’s lower body, which was now more exposed, and he kept poking at him. Siwoo arched his back, moaning as if he were about to cry, then leaned his upper body back toward Taebeom.
“More…”
He still hadn’t heard an answer. Siwoo’s wave, ready for Imprinting, clung to Taebeom stubbornly. From head to toe, there was no place untouched by Siwoo’s energy.
“Let’s think about it after we do it.”
Siwoo kissed Taebeom, urging him to set aside the thoughts filling his mind. Let’s just follow what our bodies want, he scraped his tongue against Taebeom’s palate.
All those sweet words were conveyed only through his eyes instead of sound.
Then, Taebeom’s pupils, which had been unfocused, began to tremble slowly. His heart, which had been quiet like a machine with new batteries, began to pound loudly.
Siwoo, who had untangled their intertwined tongues, lifted his head to meet Taebeom’s gaze. Their mixed fluids soaked their damp thighs and buttocks. It already felt like they had become one body with the leader.
“Ugh!”
Siwoo trembled like a beast shivering in the cold, overwhelmed by the sensation. The moment he leaned against the thick arms that enveloped him, a sudden metallic scent rose from his throat.
“Cough.”
Siwoo, who let out a small cough, buried his head in Taebeom’s shoulder. He thought he had dripped snot because his philtrum suddenly felt damp.
“Uh…”
Rubbing his wet nose against Taebeom’s body, he made a dazed sound. What flowed from Siwoo’s nose was bright red blood. Even now, the blood was still dripping little by little.
Seeing quite a bit of blood, Taebeom, stunned, pulled him into an embrace and lifted his upper body.
“Stop the guiding.”
The moment he saw Siwoo’s blood, Taebeom’s focus sharpened. He immediately sat Siwoo up and moved away from the bed.
“I said stop.”
Siwoo, still with a dazed expression, ignored Taebeom’s command and sent out more energy. He extended his arms with a wounded face, rejected from guiding.
“Hold me…”
He seemed unaware that he was bleeding. Lost in excitement from contact with Taebeom, Siwoo was in a dulled state of sensation. He didn’t even realize that his heart was sending out warnings.
“I’m cold. Hold me.”
Siwoo continued to exude an alluring energy, seeking Taebeom’s embrace. The wave of Siwoo, pierced by Imprinting, charged at him aggressively. It was a stimulation that could not be pushed away. If it weren’t for Taebeom, anyone else would have marked him long ago.
“No.”
Taebeom caught Siwoo’s approaching red hand with his cool left hand. When Siwoo tried to lean in, he raised the hand he was holding and gently pushed his face away.
“You don’t have to do it.”
Holding Siwoo’s slender wrists, which could fit in one hand, he held his breath. The guiding mixed in the air barely shook his returning reason.
“Why?”
Siwoo tilted his head, his eyes glistening. Taebeom silently held Siwoo’s wrist, watching him with a pained expression.
“Why won’t you accept it…?”
Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped, but he had already lost a lot of blood. Siwoo’s face, which had turned red from cold sweat, was already pale. He had pushed him too hard again.
“Do you hate me?”
Siwoo murmured in a childlike voice, shedding tears. Thick droplets of tears quickly dampened the corners of his eyes and pooled beneath his narrow chin. The sound of his sobs grew louder.
He really had shed a lot of tears.
Taebeom, with a sinking gaze, looked at the crying Siwoo and tightened his grip on his wrist. Just enough not to hurt.
“Is it that much of a dislike?”
Siwoo’s blue eyes looked up at Taebeom with a wounded expression. Transparent tears flowed continuously from his bloodshot eyes. As if asking him to cherish him a little more, he subtly loosened the guiding and poked at Taebeom.
Feeling the limit of pushing him away, Taebeom released the control bracelet on his right wrist. The moment the metallic sound echoed, Siwoo’s murmuring lips stiffened.
Siwoo, engulfed in Taebeom’s mental abilities, blinked blankly before lying down on the bed. With unfocused eyes, he stared at the ceiling, looking like a doll with an empty soul.
Only then did Taebeom approach the bed, extending his left arm long. He spread Siwoo’s oversized shirt to cover his thin body. He wiped away all the blood and tears he had shed.
“No.”
With an answer that wouldn’t be conveyed.
***
At the same time, Jihan was sitting at a distance from the tent where Taebeom and Siwoo were.
He had come after receiving Siwoo’s distress signal. The distress signal Siwoo had activated was sent to all the assigned espers. Geonho and Seojun, who were restricted from going out, didn’t receive the signal. Only Jihan and Taebeom got it.
Jihan had checked the signal a bit late as he was dealing with a high-risk gate. He was surprised to see Siwoo’s location suddenly on the field.
As soon as he arrived at the scene, he immediately assessed the situation. The mountain of monster corpses was something only the leader could have done. After surveying the eerily quiet gate site, he slowly approached the old tent.
However, he couldn’t open the door. He sensed a faint presence from beyond the tent wall.
The creaking sound of a bed frame being pressed down stopped Jihan in his tracks. He stood still for a moment, taking in the sounds leaking from the tent, then slowly backed away.
“I should have come earlier,” he thought with childish regret as he plopped down on the ground to rest. Thanks to Taebeom wiping out the monsters, there wasn’t much left to do.
He could have just gone back, but he didn’t want to.
After some time passed, Jihan, who had deliberately sat where he couldn’t be heard, turned his head at the sound of the door opening.
Taebeom was coming out of the tent alone. Without the guide.
“Go in,” he said, jerking his chin towards the tent with an indifferent expression. Jihan, sitting in a languid posture, tilted his head slightly to the side.
“I guess you knew I was here.”
“Put him to bed in the dorm. You carry him.”
Jihan smirked as he got up, watching Taebeom give instructions as if cutting off the conversation. He was used to the leader’s cold attitude. He had long since gotten accustomed to how little Taebeom spoke and how he never talked about himself.
“Leader.”
Jihan felt he could understand all of this about Taebeom. He thought he had to.
“Take care of yourself,” he said as he approached Taebeom, his smile becoming even gentler. With a soft eye-smile, he walked past Taebeom.
“Let’s not worry our tender-hearted guide, okay?”
His languid voice turned into a sigh as he entered the tent.
Despite Jihan intentionally making loud footsteps as he entered, the person lying on the bed didn’t budge. Siwoo was staring blankly at the shabby ceiling.
“Seems like you overdid it again,” Jihan said, shaking his head as he looked at the pale, bloodless face. His steps were heavy as he approached the bed.
Although Siwoo wasn’t covered with a blanket, he was fully dressed. The crisp shirt collar and fully buttoned shirt bore the leader’s touch.
Jihan let out a short sigh as he sat on the edge of the bed. Clear saliva was dripping from Siwoo’s parted lips. It was one of the characteristics shown by those caught in psychic abilities.
“Our precious guide,” he whispered softly, brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen on Siwoo’s long eyelashes. He watched Siwoo, lying straight like a fairy tale princess, with a bitter smile for a moment.
He unbuttoned a few buttons of the shirt that seemed uncomfortably buttoned up to the chin, and wiped away the saliva Siwoo was drooling. Then he kissed his round forehead.
“Don’t be in pain.”
At the same time, Siwoo’s eyelids slowly closed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
