“Are you really okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
“I don’t think so.”
He was being kneaded like dough. A bit much, isn’t it? That’s what he thought, but when he replied obediently, the pervert jumped at the chance to nag.
“See? I told you it was dangerous! Why don’t you ever listen to me?”
The arm wrapped around Jae-ha’s waist tightened. It was as if, the moment he let his guard down, Jae-ha might leap into the lake. There was a clear will behind it—he wasn’t going to let go, not even by accident.
“I didn’t think it would get this bad.”
Trapped in the pervert’s arms, Jae-ha muttered awkwardly. Just yesterday, everything had been normal. Who could’ve imagined he’d be fighting for his life just one day later?
At those words, the pervert lifted his head. He had the eyes of a loan shark who’d finally caught his debtor red-handed.
“Now do you get it?”
The gravity of the situation finally sank in. The words of the shaman at the fortune-telling house played back in his mind with impeccable timing.
Something—be it a curse or a ghost—was clinging to him. And now it was threatening his very life. Even knowing the truth, it all felt too vague and overwhelming.
“So what am I supposed to do? Are you going to perform an exorcism or something?”
The question came out reluctantly, and the pervert looked downright smug. You’d think he was being praised.
“There’s no need for that.”
He grinned. Suspicious as ever, yet his smile was so boyish it momentarily stole the spotlight.
“Haetae possesses the power to judge. It can discern right from wrong, good from evil, and deliver judgment.”
A divine beast sent down as a servant of the sun, meant to drive out dark forces with yin energy. A symbol of justice and moral retribution, protector of law and order.
Descended from an ancient ancestor with mystical powers. Generation after generation… the descendants of the sacred beasts inherited fragments of that power, learning over time how to use it and where it was needed. Those born with the strength of a sacred beast also inherited its responsibility.
“I’ll stay with you and purify the curse.”
Among all divine creatures, Haetae carried an especially powerful yang energy. So much so that lesser spirits couldn’t even come near it.
“So for now, live with me.”
“…Huh?”
Why was that the conclusion? This was the first time in his life he’d gotten such an out-of-nowhere cohabitation proposal. Jae-ha narrowed his eyes.
In response to his less-than-enthusiastic look, the pervert snuggled closer like he was trying to act cute. His voice lowered, becoming soft and persuasive.
“The human body is fragile. If I purify the curse directly from within you, it could make you seriously ill. It takes time. And the longer we stay together, the better.”
…Why does this feel like a scam? Even after hearing the Hongyeon Seonnyeo’s cryptic warning, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that this guy talked like a shady heating pad salesman.
Jae-ha casually grabbed the hand on his waist and pried it off. He hadn’t said anything until now, but the guy had been getting a little too handsy.
“If something like today happens again, it’ll be easier for me to help. It’s not a bad deal, is it?”
He hadn’t noticed before, probably because the first impression had been so shocking, but the pervert actually had well-balanced features. Thick eyebrows and sharp eyes gave his youthful face a slightly aloof charm instead of looking intimidating. In a few years, when he lost that baby fat, he’d probably look fierce and severe.
But for now, he was nothing more than a clingy puppy.
Jae-ha sighed. The guy was still suspicious as hell, but even someone as unflappable as him didn’t want to end up dead from being unprepared when supernatural shit was happening left and right.
“Fine.”
The pervert beamed. The usually deadpan face lit up, and it made his looks pop even more. His glossy brown eyes sparkled like he was standing under his own personal spotlight.
“Good choice. I’ll stick to you like glue—except when you go to the bathroom.”
“That’s… not necessary.”
People had their own lives, after all… Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like his words registered. Just as Jae-ha was trying to brace himself, the pervert threw himself into his arms again with a loud “Great decision!” and nearly knocked them both into the lake. This time, Jae-ha barely held his ground—and only after landing a solid hit did the guy sulkily back off.
***
“……”
Again. Jae-ha woke up to that now-familiar weight.
Thick limbs, practically like ropes, were tangled all over his body. The warmth pressed up against his side was way beyond cozy—it was sweltering. But he’d anticipated this and had gone to sleep with the air conditioner on. The upside: Jae-ha wasn’t hot anymore. The downside: the cuddling had gotten even tighter. The guy must’ve gotten cold during the night.
A ridiculous and wildly unbalanced situation.
The electricity thief beside him was still deep asleep, wrapped around Jae-ha like a python. His face, nuzzled up close, was completely relaxed—as if he were in the middle of the most blissful dream.
On the first morning of their cohabitation, when Jae-ha opened his eyes to such a ridiculous scene, he didn’t hesitate to pummel Hae-hyun awake.
He was certain he’d seen the guy lying on the couch before bed—so when had he snuck into the bedroom? Hae-hyun rubbed his eyes slowly as he woke, but his demeanor was completely different from before.
“Mmm… Is it morning already?”
His groggy murmur carried not a shred of surprise or embarrassment. In fact, he even squirmed in closer, burrowing into Jae-ha’s side. It was the kind of attitude only someone who had very deliberately done something wrong would have.
“Why are you in here?”
“Dunno… Maybe I came back after going to the bathroom in the middle of the night…”
The sluggish tone made it clear he was still half-dreaming. When Jae-ha smacked the fuzzy head threatening to drift off again, Hae-hyun only flinched and scrunched up his face.
“Ugh, what?”
“What do you mean, what? Go sleep on the couch.”
“It’s too small.”
“Then sleep on the floor.”
“I don’t sleep on floors…”
And just like that, he passed out again.
When Jae-ha tried to wake him once more, Hae-hyun committed a full-on act of rebellion—tucking Jae-ha’s head into his chest and wrapping all four limbs around him to shut down any resistance. Jae-ha nearly suffocated to death.
Admittedly, the couch wasn’t exactly ideal for someone Hae-hyun’s size. The two-seater, the kind often found in off-campus housing for college students, barely accommodated an average adult, let alone someone pushing over 190cm. It was far too cramped for him to sleep on.
But that didn’t mean Jae-ha’s bed was any better for two grown men. Though not quite as tall as Hae-hyun, Jae-ha still stood well over 180cm and had a proportional build. The double-sized bed was perfect for him—alone.
With Hae-hyun squeezing in, it was obviously tight. Even when they were stuck together like puzzle pieces, one of them had to lie sideways just to keep their limbs from hanging off the edge. For someone to physically press against the rightful bed owner and carve out his own space in that already cramped bed… it was a feat that only the most shameless person could accomplish. And astoundingly, Ju Hae-hyun did.
The next day was the same. And the day after that. Every night, Jae-ha went to bed alone—only to wake up next to someone else. It was starting to feel like a scene out of an old folk tale.
Eventually, Hae-hyun gave up even pretending it was accidental.
“Sleeping together works better. If you keep absorbing the energy I give off while you sleep, it helps suppress the curse.”
“…You’re not scamming me, right?”
“I’m serious. See? I stuck close to you, and it’s already gone down a lot. Why are you scolding someone who’s trying to help?”
Despite openly admitting it was intentional, he wrapped his arms around Jae-ha’s waist and pressed in like he was sulking. He even tucked his head into Jae-ha’s shoulder as if to say he wasn’t going to listen no matter what was said. He was impossibly spoiled—like someone who’d grown up being coddled beyond belief. It was ridiculous, but oddly fitting for him.
After observing Hae-hyun for a few days, Jae-ha realized one thing: the guy was… pretty damn self-centered. If you wanted to be generous, you could call him a prince. If you wanted to be honest, he was a layabout.
The day they decided to live together, Hae-hyun showed up around dinnertime carrying a suitcase big enough to belong to someone immigrating. When Jae-ha peeked inside, it was stuffed mostly with clothes—an absurd amount, as if he were planning to stay for years.
When Jae-ha asked why he brought so much, Hae-hyun had the gall to say this wasn’t much. Thanks to that, Jae-ha’s closet became an unholy battleground, forcibly reorganized to make room for Hae-hyun’s wardrobe, now bursting at the seams.
