Chapter 83
“Maybe.”
The voice that followed was as serious as his expression.
“Maybe I’ve always lived with my heart captivated by you. So I never needed to look for someone else to like.”
Mujin took a deep breath.
“I was really lucky too. I’ve known you since you were a baby.”
That sounded exactly like saying he’d liked him from a very long time ago.
“And… because of that, I was late. You were too natural to me.”
Mujin bent his waist and slowly pressed their foreheads together. Eunseong’s eyes widened, startled at the thought that he might kiss him again. After avoiding his gaze for a long time, he glanced back, and Mujin’s eyes were consistently directed toward him. Those black, clear eyes looking only at him felt very familiar.
Yes, Mujin was right. He had always looked at him with the same eyes. He had just been late to realize it.
“…”
He wanted to give him an answer, but nothing came out when words tried to form and leave his mouth. As if his head had suddenly become stupid, he lost all language.
I took you for granted too.
How nice it would be to say it in words. Eunseong looked at Mujin’s eyes, nose, and mouth in turn, then closed his eyes and lightly pressed their lips together. The moment their soft flesh rubbed against each other, he could feel Mujin gasp in surprise. His whole body felt so ticklish he thought he might go crazy. The moment he clenched both fists tight, the tingling sensation spread to all his limbs.
His heart was beating so fast he couldn’t breathe. When he slightly parted his lips, Mujin tilted his head and bit his upper lip. When he obediently matched the angle, the kiss became a little deeper. There was a very small wet sound and his dry lips were slowly moistened.
It was a little different from the kiss in the barracks. The tip of his tongue carefully touched and then withdrew. Mujin kissed gently like having a conversation, neither rushing nor lingering long. Eunseong, who had been enduring by just clenching his innocent fists, finally grabbed Mujin’s t-shirt. When he grabbed his collar and pulled, a brief laugh spread across his lips. His heart was shaken again by the warm laughter.
Smack, their lips overlapped once more briefly before separating. When their mixed breath separated, a sound that could have been either a sigh or a moan echoed in his throat. When Mujin finally lightly bit his lower lip and released it, lukewarm breath flowed between them for a long time.
Eunseong felt like he’d lost all gravity. When he staggered, Mujin grabbed his waist and pulled him into an embrace. When their bodies touched, his hardened member pressed firmly against his lower abdomen. It felt like electricity shot through his melting brain.
“…Stop, now.”
“When did you pull me in?”
Mujin lightly bit and released Eunseong’s nose. Having briefly separated their faces, he pressed close again as if he couldn’t stand it, biting his cheek, then putting his earlobe in his mouth and rolling it around.
“Don’t, don’t do that!”
He pushed his shoulders with all his strength, but Mujin didn’t budge.
“It tickles, Mujin.”
When he twisted his body and struggled, it only resulted in more rubbing against his member. At this rate, he would clearly become fully erect too. Each time Mujin’s thigh brushed against him, the volume was increasing. Like this, he might end up lying down in the middle of the rift.
“What, what if Curry sees?”
“What would a bird know?”
“I don’t want to here.”
“…”
Mujin, who had been giggling while sucking on his ear, stopped abruptly. He pulled his head back and looked down at Eunseong’s face, which had turned bright red. Raising his handsome eyebrows as high as possible.
“What are you imagining that makes you say you don’t want to here?”
“Crazy, what are you talking about? Who’s imagining what?”
“This means I can be greedier, right?”
Instead of words, Mujin pressed firmly between Eunseong’s legs with his thigh and rubbed.
“I said don’t!”
When Eunseong pushed him away in shock at the tingling sensation, he finally relaxed his arms as if reluctant. Eunseong hurriedly turned around and began walking toward where Curry was. Because of the discomfort between his legs, his whole body ached with each step he took.
“When we used to bathe together when you were little, your little thing was so white…”
“Don’t! Baek Mujin! Shut that mouth!”
When he shouted with a truly angry face, Mujin burst into loud laughter that made his Adam’s apple bob completely. Wiping away even tears from laughing, he gestured with his chin toward Eunseong’s lower body.
“But it worked, didn’t it?”
“…I really hate you.”
Though he frowned as much as possible, as Mujin said, his erection had subsided. Mujin also spread his energy again with a more comfortable expression. The two people, finding their direction again, quickened their pace.
The ground that had been covered with black mud had somehow changed to a wasteland with crunching sand. When they crossed the hill following the increasingly strong traces of energy, Seorin vibrated on Eunseong’s neck. It pulsed and twitched as if someone had touched it.
“Why is Seorin…”
Before he could finish speaking, his ears rang with a buzzing sound. Along with the feeling that the world was turning one beat late, his vision flashed white. When Eunseong collapsed, Mujin hurriedly supported him.
The energy of Hwanghwa stirred and rose from inside his chest. Unlike what Mujin naturally controlled, the energy that captured Eunseong was willful and violent. The energy that burst out as if unwilling to be suppressed collided with Seorin, then changed direction to point ahead.
“Eunseong, you have a fever.”
“It’s up ahead.”
Eunseong pointed with his finger to a spot while supporting his body against Mujin’s arm. It was clear certainty. At the point where collapsed framework debris could be seen overlapping in the far distance, below it was Curry.
“It’s calling from there.”
Without answering, Mujin lifted Eunseong in his arms. He kicked off the ground and began leaping as if flying. Humid wind brushed their cheeks. Each time Mujin stepped on the ground, the soft sandy floor sank with a thud, trying to pull them down. He spread flames to create supports and used that force to soar higher, jumping even higher.
Finally reaching the ground, Curry was there under the rib-like steel frames of the collapsed building. It had turned black as charcoal and seemed to have no life force, but it was definitely Curry.
“…Why did you run away carelessly and end up like this? How upsetting.”
Eunseong lifted Curry with both hands. Only energy as small as a matchstick flame remained in its chest area. Again, buzz, Seorin rang.
“It’s probably not dead. If my guess is right.”
At Mujin’s words, Eunseong nodded.
“This is an item, right?”
The moment the distance closed and Seorin reacted, one of the various assumptions in his head gained certainty.
Then why had it jumped into the rift?
Eunseong straightened his back and looked around. There was nothing noticeable in the wasteland full of sand. Baek Sangyeon should have fallen somewhere around here too, but he wasn’t visible either.
“Let’s go back first.”
At Mujin’s voice, Eunseong stood up. When he tried to return toward where the bike was, he shook his head. He meant to return using the guide device. Eunseong, holding Curry in his arms, also agreed with his thought without complaint.
Whoom, the monster core that Mujin took out vibrated. From inside the deep blood-colored orb, the monster’s cries seemed to be heard. When he put strength into the hand holding the core, golden energy burrowed into it. Finally, when he burned up all the life force remaining in the core, the air inside the rift trembled. The powerless passage began to close.
When they activated the guide device and got on the beam of light leading to the sky, their eyes stung. Eunseong gripped Mujin’s hand tightly. Though the coordinates for returning were clearly set, he wanted to do so. Mujin, who had gripped their clasped hands tightly, whispered.
“Let’s go home.”
* * *
The two people who returned from the rift headed straight to the research lab in the guild, still grimy.
In the center of the space that wasn’t fully organized, a heavy round table with an item identifier was placed. Mujin, who walked straight there, swept the things on the round table to the edge with his forearm.
Eunseong turned on the item identification panel and carefully placed Curry on it.
[ Curry ]
Grade: Undetermined / Creator: ☺
Nom nom, eats broccoli for you.
Notes: Core part / Item name has been changed.
“…”
Curry was indeed an item. There was nothing surprising about the expected result. However, what surprised Eunseong was the creator’s signature and item description.
Eunseong removed Seorin that was hanging around his neck. After making eye contact with Mujin once, he slowly placed Seorin on the panel next to it. A gentle blue light sparkled and then Seorin’s description also appeared on the screen.
[ Seorin ]
Grade: Undetermined / Creator: ☺
You can be invincible for about 5 seconds.
Notes: Core part
Mujin frowned. After reading Seorin and Curry’s descriptions alternately, he met eyes with Eunseong with his brow deeply furrowed. Then he said the same thing as Eunseong almost simultaneously.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
