…What the hell was that reaction? The man’s previously calm expression twisted into something unreadable. Cha Eui-sung narrowed his eyes, studying him closely.
Moon Tae-young looked both flustered—like he’d been caught off guard—and at a loss, as if faced with something he hadn’t prepared for. But more than anything, his expression said he didn’t know where to even begin explaining. It made Eui-sung feel oddly uneasy just looking at him.
Why isn’t he dodging the question like he always does? What’s with that face? Did I miss something?
Eui-sung felt a creeping discomfort. Moon Tae-young’s reaction was totally off from what he’d expected.
Originally, he’d figured the guy would brush off the question again, and he could just scoff internally and move on.
See? Can’t even answer properly. But still… your guilt’s eating at you, isn’t it? Maybe about 58%?
He was planning to use that guilt to drag him down to Cheongseri.
Clack.
Cha Eui-sung set the now-empty teacup—just the used teabag left inside—down on the side table. Maybe that soft little noise carried some unspoken discomfort. Moon Tae-young, who had been silently watching him for a while, finally opened his mouth.
“Cha Eui-sung.”
His voice was gentle, but a faint vein had surfaced on his forehead. Without his glasses, his black eyes looked far more serious—grave, even. His next words came with a look of genuine confusion.
“Why do you think I came all the way here?”
“Well, that’s…”
Eui-sung had started to answer instinctively, but trailed off mid-sentence.
Right. Why did he come here? Wasn’t that the question I asked in the first place?
It’s not like he rushed over thinking someone had collapsed—he was already near Seoul when they talked on the phone.
So, taken at face value, the obvious answer would be: he likes me. He missed me. He came to find his runaway lover.
But this guy? Seriously?
No matter how he turned it over in his head, it didn’t seem like something Moon Tae-young would do. Besides, the Savior Gauge still hadn’t moved a bit. He’d checked over and over while waiting outside the hotel.
Then maybe… had something gone wrong with the dungeon in the clearing? Or worse—had the Outer God whispered to this guy about the Demon King and the Hero like he’d feared? If that’s what brought him running here in a panic…
His head was a mess. He knew too much. And because he could see the guy’s feelings quantified as a stat, it made it even harder to judge things properly. Sure, he knew Moon Tae-young liked him. That much was obvious. But… enough to pull something like this in the middle of the night? That he wasn’t so sure about.
“Good question.”
After a brief pause, Eui-sung gave an honest answer. Moon Tae-young’s brows twitched subtly.
Sigh. He let out a quiet breath. What was he supposed to do with that? Eui-sung almost sighed right along with him, momentarily forgetting to play the pitiful victim.
All he’d done was ask the usual: Do you like me? So why the sudden tension? Why did everything feel so uncertain tonight?
The emotions he’d forced down earlier started rising up again. His brown eyes, tinged with sorrow, darted restlessly around the room.
Then— Their eyes met. And suddenly, Moon Tae-young reached out.
Startled, Cha Eui-sung instinctively took his hand.
“Cha Eui-sung.”
He said his name again, voice a little hoarse this time. Eui-sung averted his gaze, not answering.
But Tae-young just held his hand, gently running his fingers along it. The soft, ticklish sensation somehow reached all the way to the back of Eui-sung’s throat.
“…Do I seem like the kind of person who would do this with just anyone?”
The unexpected question tumbled out, rolling between them. Eui-sung almost shook his head without thinking— But then his eyes flew wide open.
“I like you. That’s why I came to find you.”
The confession came without warning, slamming into him like a blow to the head. No time to process, no time to brace.
“I didn’t want to regret it. I was scared we’d drift apart like this.”
He’d never heard anything like that before, not even after they’d started calling themselves lovers. Cha Eui-sung’s eyes rounded in shock.
“…What?”
His mind blanked for a moment.
……
……
……What the hell?
Cha Eui-sung sat there with wide eyes, dumbfounded, silently asking himself,
What the hell did I just hear?
What kind of out-of-place romantic catchphrase had just come out of that Demon King’s mouth?
The… the Gauge?
Of all things to pop into his head just now—why that? Eui-sung, forgetting Moon Tae-young was right in front of him, immediately pulled up his System window.
58%. Incredibly, the Savior Gauge hadn’t moved at all.
There’s no way the emotion behind those words was the same as when Tae-young had always distanced himself.
That can’t be right.
This was the first time such words had ever come out of that Demon King’s mouth—usually he just exercised his right to remain silent. Could the Gauge be broken? Maybe something glitched when the system tried to register such a bizarre scene?
Gritting his teeth, Eui-sung wore a face full of confusion.
“Eui-sung?”
That soft voice called his name again. As he stared off blankly into space, Moon Tae-young’s perfectly symmetrical features came into view, closer now. His expression, once troubled, now brimmed with worry and concern.
“…Are you okay? Do you feel like you’re going to collapse again?”
No, it was just the alcohol last time—he only fell over because he was drunk.
Though he grumbled internally, Eui-sung couldn’t get his mouth to work. Even the shake of his head felt stiff, like a rusty machine running on low oil.
Damn it. After putting on such a good show earlier, he couldn’t even manage to keep a straight face now. In a panic, he checked himself—and realized his heart was pounding like mad.
Why hadn’t he noticed it sooner?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
With each beat, his pulse echoed loudly in his ears as blood surged through his veins. And the moment he realized it, his face flushed crimson.
No—come to think of it, it had probably been burning for a while already. Thrown off by how his own body refused to obey, Cha Eui-sung glanced at Moon Tae-young.
And only then did he see the expression on his absurdly perceptive lover’s face. A face that had just realized something: that Eui-sung, the ever-composed Cha Eui-sung, had completely lost his cool over just one sentence.
No, fuck that!
Eui-sung vehemently denied it in his head, feeling the flow of Tae-young’s thoughts as if he could read them in real time—but he didn’t actually say it out loud.
All he could do was hold himself back, fighting against the damn body that had betrayed his will, while his pride screamed in agony.
“I honestly thought you already knew. That it was obvious… to someone like you, Cha Eui-sung.”
“…Someone like me?”
“And besides, you’re always asking me all sorts of… things.”
But even that defensive tone melted away with Moon Tae-young’s next words.
Random teasing questions he’d thrown out before flickered through his mind—stuff like “Are your preferences based on cup size?” or “Who was your first kiss, if not me?”
Things he’d said just to get under Tae-young’s skin.
Well, serves him right for acting like a brick wall. Eui-sung grumbled inwardly, but he could tell that what Moon Tae-young just said was his way of offering an excuse. That he was more invested than he let on. That he never meant to confuse Eui-sung or lead him on. Something along those lines.
I saw how slowly that damn Gauge crawled up, so don’t give me that.
Still— Thinking back to the way Moon Tae-young had always approached him with endless hesitation, inch by inch… maybe the second part wasn’t entirely a lie.
Even so… The first part might actually be true.
And with that thought, snap— The tension that had been squeezing his insides like a rubber band suddenly snapped and vanished.
Why? Why was it that just a moment ago, the thought of being near this arrogant Demon King—the same one who only gave him just enough attention to stay close—had filled him with unease… But now, some of that anxiety had melted away?
As the tight frown left his face, Moon Tae-young carefully reached out and cupped his flushed cheek. Maybe because all the heat had rushed to his head, his hand felt cool against Eui-sung’s skin.
Almost reflexively, Eui-sung leaned into the large palm. Fingers brushed beneath his jaw, gently rubbing in a way that was almost ticklish—and god, it felt good. Too good.
Shit. He swore under his breath. It was ridiculous—how natural it felt to be like this with him. Like they’d never even been apart.
Eui-sung stared in a daze, barely able to process it all. Of course, it wasn’t like he liked the Demon King bastard or anything. But if Moon Tae-young really was that into him— Then liking him back just a little wouldn’t exactly be a loss, would it?
Besides, if he wanted to keep that Gauge climbing… He’d have to get closer too, right? So maybe…
Pop!
……
In that instant, the sound he’d been waiting for echoed in his ear.
But Cha Eui-sung didn’t even think to open the System window. His entire focus was consumed by the approaching lips, the breath that ghosted across his skin and made it tingle.
“Come here.”
The whispered words were strangely sweet. It had been so long since he’d inhaled Moon Tae-young’s scent—and now it twisted deep inside his chest, making his heart tumble and lurch.
A tingling sensation shot up from the back of his neck, spreading to his scalp.
Soft.
That gentle touch landed on his lips.
The moment they connected, Moon Tae-young caught his lower lip in his teeth, lightly pulling, teasing the sensitive skin.
“Mmh…”
It was barely a kiss, just a brush of lips—but it felt so good.
As Eui-sung let out a faint moan and half-lidded his eyes, the hand on his cheek slid down, curling behind his neck. He exhaled shakily, parting his lips, and Tae-young’s eyes flashed for a moment.
Then— Something warm and slick curled around his tongue, slipping inside.
“Haa…”
Wet, sticky sounds echoed in his skull like they were reverberating down his spine.
Eui-sung leaned unsteadily into him, but the table got in the way, so only his upper body tilted toward Tae-young.
“Nggh.”
Frustrated, he let out a soft whimper—and Moon Tae-young chuckled quietly, stroking the back of his neck. Then, smoothly, he slid one hand under Eui-sung’s arm…
“Ah!”
Lift.
With barely any effort, he pulled Eui-sung’s body up and onto the table.
Their bodies pressed flush together in an instant, arms tangled tight.
Clatter!
A cup fell and shattered somewhere, but neither of them paid it any mind.
Smooch, smooch—
Warm lips traveled to the sensitive skin of his neck, planting wet kisses that left him shivering.
it’s fuckenn time 😍