Ironically enough, maybe because their Matching Rate was 99%, the more Guiding Kwon Hae-beom received, the more stable he became. Still, he remained unable to eat. He kept growing thinner by the day.
Lee Hae-il seemed to think Kwon Hae-beom was just pathetic. As a result, the two of them fought every day. Although the tranquilizers made Kwon Hae-beom a bit out of it, he wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t talk. And Lee Hae-il, always knowing exactly which buttons to push, picked just the right words to provoke him. Strangely enough, Kwon Hae-beom responded to it. It was only verbal sparring, sure—but it was still a response.
At any rate, Lee Hae-il was the only one Kwon Hae-beom reacted to at all. After all that effort to avoid Guiding, it had all come to this in the end… Jung Jae-heon could only click his tongue.
***
Choi Jiwoon was dead. No one said it outright, but everyone knew. You only had to look at Kwon Hae-beom’s condition to realize it.
Honestly, Lee Tae-rim had expected Kwon Hae-beom to cause an uproar—maybe even say he’d die too if Choi Jiwoon died. But Kwon Hae-beom stayed silent. And with each passing day, his condition deteriorated further.
Eventually, Kwon Hae-beom was prescribed tranquilizers made for Espers, and while mentally dazed, he somehow ended up getting Guided by Lee Hae-il. Thanks to that, Lee Tae-rim didn’t have to run into him anymore.
“What a waste…”
Lee Tae-rim muttered the words without thinking after hearing about Kwon Hae-beom from Seon Juho. Apparently, Kwon had pulled out all his alcohol in the middle of the night—the stuff he usually drank as a hobby—and downed it all in one go. He hadn’t gotten drunk, of course, but he reeked of booze so badly it was as if he’d bathed in the stuff, and he was kicked out to the outdoor training ground.
Given that Kwon Hae-beom was an Esper, the alcohol in his house had to be insanely expensive. And he drank all of it in a single night? From Tae-rim’s perspective, it was an unforgivable waste. No doubt he’d guzzled it like water without even tasting it… Those bottles weren’t meant to be treated that way, especially the ones that had been aging so carefully.
Lee Tae-rim mourned the poor liquor that had met such an undeserved end.
Kwon Hae-beom must’ve thought that drinking more might finally get him drunk—but according to Seon Juho, he hadn’t even been remotely tipsy. Not surprising. Espers had bodies that could stay unaffected even after being pumped full of God-knows-what kind of experimental drugs. And yet he’d tried to get drunk on something as weak as alcohol? Clearly, the tranquilizers had dulled his brain.
Jung Jae-heon, who’d seemed conflicted about sending Kwon Hae-beom back into field duty, seemed to have given up on the idea entirely. After all, the tranquilizers for Espers sometimes made them completely dazed. There was no way someone like that could go hunting.
“Should I look into aged bottles again?”
“Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s good. I have my own preferences.”
“Then how about buying something to age for the future?”
“Hm. That idea I do like.”
Lee Tae-rim started recalling the liquors he’d really liked. Some of them felt like they’d become absolutely perfect with just a few more years of aging. He also remembered the beverage manager mentioning that they rented out wine cellars. Yeah, it was best to leave that sort of thing to professionals.
Tonight, Lee Tae-rim was sipping wine with fruit and cheese as a snack. It was Friday night—he’d had a glass with dinner, and now he was having another after the meal.
His body could really hold its liquor. Two or three glasses didn’t even show. But even so, he never let his guard down. On weekdays, just one glass. On weekends, two max. He was a connoisseur who savored the taste and aroma of alcohol—not someone who drank to get wasted.
Still, drinking every day like this was only possible because he was young. Once you get older, daily drinking becomes impossible. So Tae-rim had decided to enjoy it while he could.
And when he said one glass, it wasn’t a full one. He only ever filled it to a third. Ever since the day he got into trouble after drinking, he’d been religiously strict about his intake. It wasn’t a public fact, but Seon Juho—who was always quietly watching over him—felt a little sorry about it.
“God, this guy’s persistent. When the hell is he getting divorced?”
Ever since the day the show delivered that satisfying punch with “ripped the in-laws apart,” they’d gone right back to feeding viewers nothing but frustrating drama. And Seon Juho, the show’s most loyal victim, clutched his chest again today.
Because of the father-in-law, who couldn’t bring himself to get divorced thanks to the years spent with his wife, the whole family—including the son, the daughter-in-law, and the viewers—were being forced to eat nothing but emotional brick walls. The son, especially, had lost it over the mother’s affair and couldn’t forgive her.
“Well, yeah. If they go through with the divorce now, the story ends.”
“I know, but still…!”
Seon Juho still looked utterly frustrated. And today’s ending had him grabbing the back of his neck again. Just as the mother-in-law had supposedly broken up with her affair partner, the show closed with her sneaking off to see him again. Seon Juho was fuming.
“Cheaters should all rot in hell!”
Tae-rim agreed. In his previous life, his older brother had always been the two-timing type. Whether it was cheating or juggling two relationships, Tae-rim didn’t just hate it—he abhorred it. That bastard would always date two Omegas at once: one with a pretty face that fit his taste, and one from a rich family. A truly vile man.
“Trashy dramas always come with some sweet payoff. That’s the whole point of watching them.”
“Even if I know that, I’m still pissed!”
Seon Juho pouted his lips, and Tae-rim, chuckling, reached over to ruffle his hair. That sulky face—too damn cute to resist.
“Hyung, have you finished eating?”
“Yeah.”
At Tae-rim’s reply, the puppy who had been barking and throwing a fit just moments earlier sprang to his feet and began clearing away the empty glasses and leftover side dishes. Tae-rim smiled as he watched Seon Juho, his back faintly visible through the thin fabric. Seon Juho quickly finished washing the dishes and walked over to him.
“Hyung.”
“What?”
“Hehe.”
His grin was so adorable that Tae-rim gave in without hesitation. As he got up from his seat, Seon Juho eagerly followed, practically bouncing after him. Tae-rim stepped into the bedroom.
Seon Juho had been diligently working on loosening up his backside. Realizing saliva alone wouldn’t cut it, he had stocked up on an impressive assortment of lubricants—unscented and all edible. Tae-rim couldn’t help but be reminded of just how seriously Seon Juho was taking this every time another box arrived.
By the time Tae-rim sat on the bed, Seon Juho was already stripping off his shirt and pants. In an instant, only his underwear remained. Tae-rim licked his lips and swallowed as he watched Seon Juho approach.
Moments ago, he’d been nothing more than a cute, playful puppy, but now—just by undressing—the mood had shifted entirely. Once his underwear came off, his body radiated raw seduction. That smile, so lewd and brazen, was unimaginable to anyone who hadn’t seen it for themselves.
Seon Juho’s cock swung with each step, heavy and full, as if proudly flaunting its size. The thought of taking it had once terrified Tae-rim, but things were different now. Seon Juho had been stimulating Tae-rim’s prostate daily, awakening sensations dormant in his omega body.
Because of that, Tae-rim had become incredibly sensitive down there. He wasn’t at the point of letting out wild moans the way people online described, but the sensation was undeniably intense.
“Hyung…”
Seon Juho climbed onto the bed and gently pressed Tae-rim down beneath him, lips crashing together as they kissed. Hot breaths passed between them, mingled with a dizzying, intoxicating exchange of pheromones. Tae-rim closed his eyes and took in the scent.
Seon Juho’s touch was unhurried, almost teasing. His hand drifted down Tae-rim’s waist and slipped beneath his waistband, cupping his ass.
“Hyung, did you know your scent gets stronger whenever I touch your ass lately?”
“…”
Tae-rim flushed, feeling as if his innermost thoughts had just been laid bare. What Seon Juho said was true. Ever since his omega instincts had begun to resurface, Tae-rim found himself reliving the memory of that overwhelming climax every time Juho touched his backside.
If he still had an omega’s body, his entrance would already be soaked, joyfully ready to welcome its alpha. But Tae-rim was now a beta, which meant a long and careful prep was necessary.
The feel of another’s fingers entering him was electrifying. The fact that the hand stroking his cock wasn’t his own only heightened the arousal. Even just being touched by Seon Juho’s fingers was enough to send shivers down his spine—and then there was his mouth, his lips, his tongue. Juho licked and sucked with eager precision, and slowly, Tae-rim’s body opened up to him.
Seon Juho yanked down Tae-rim’s pants and underwear in one swift motion, then groped his ass without restraint. Tae-rim jolted every time Seon Juho’s fingers brushed against his entrance during the massage. His body, now conditioned by their daily encounters, reacted instinctively to Juho’s touch.
As their clothes came off, their cocks brushed against each other. No matter how many times it happened, Tae-rim could never get used to that intense, searing heat. Every time, it thrilled him anew. As he slowly rolled his hips, a moan escaped his lips.
