There’s been a small shift in my daily life.
At the lab, they focused heavily on whether Sun Woosung’s hostility toward Cat had lessened even slightly, using the same environment and identical behavioral patterns. Since I started spending more time with Sun Woosung, we also talked more often. If he asked me about the monsters in the lab, I would ask him about the monsters on the surface.
Naturally, that led to a discussion about the surface itself, which I had always been curious about.
“Is it really like hell, a barren wasteland full of nothing but monsters?”
Students on the ship are taught that the surface is a terrible place where everything has perished and monsters are the only lifeforms remaining. We, the descendants of those who survived such a world, are considered fortunate. That belief becomes the foundation for teachings that emphasize fulfilling one’s role as a member of the ship’s society and contributing to its peace and preservation.
“Not everywhere is like that.”
After a moment of hesitation, Sun Woosung lowered his gaze and finally spoke.
“The crew were completely stunned. By the remnants of civilization that humanity had built over so long, by the untouched beauty of nature… There were so many places that were so breathtaking it’s hard to describe them in words.”
The image in my mind merged with what my father had once told me about the scenery on the surface and what Sun Woosung had just described. As I stared blankly into space, Sun Woosung added,
“Of course, we haven’t yet found a place safe enough for the ship to land and for everyone onboard to settle down. Even if we’re lucky enough to find a monster-free zone, the surrounding ones always end up catching the scent and charging in.”
“…I see.”
A fleeting desire rose within me—to see with my own eyes this world where danger and beauty coexisted.
Perhaps the reason all our education about the surface focused solely on horror and despair was to prevent the residents from longing for a truly free world beyond the confines of this massive machine. It’s a natural desire, but even within that, there’s always the possibility of dissenters emerging. Those who might claim the idea that the surface is uninhabitable is a conspiracy. Those who might stir up unrest.
The Captain and the upper echelon were likely most wary of any possibility that could lead to the ship’s downfall.
Yet the one who hoped more than anyone for humanity to live on the surface again… was also the Captain
The previous Captain had consistently dispatched Reconnaissance Units to the surface and had approved the Military Beast Project. And Vice Captain Yeo Wonjin, now the new Captain, probably didn’t think much differently from his mother.
The pale image of Yeo Wonjin flashed through my mind—perhaps he had even wished it for my sake. He was likely buried in work, barely able to lift his head.
“Seo Suho!”
Most of my post-work life was still spent at home with Min Yugeon, like before, but the rhythm had changed.
I must have run into Min Yugeon on the way home after he finished work somewhere other than the center. He waved his arms enthusiastically with a big grin. I raised one hand in response. The way he moved reminded me of Cat wagging his tail.
“What are you so happy about? We’re going to see each other at home anyway.”
He marched over and threw his arm around my shoulders. I tossed a casual remark his way. Min Yugeon exaggeratedly gasped and pulled me into a tight hug. My shoulder felt like it might cave in.
“What do you mean? We barely get to spend time together. I’d rather see you than my coworkers.”
“…Seriously.”
How could he say things like that so effortlessly? He had always been the type to blurt out things that made me squirm, but lately, it was happening more and more.
The real issue was that what used to slide right past me now got under my skin far too easily. My face grew hot, and I quickly turned it away. Min Yugeon sighed dramatically, completely unaware of how I felt.
“Ugh, the days are just too long.”
“…”
“Don’t you think so, Suho?”
I quickened my pace for no reason, and he clung to me, pretending to be dragged along.
“Oooh, what’s this reaction? Wait, are you… embarrassed?”
His perfectly symmetrical face twisted into this pitiful look, eyebrows drooping in mock sorrow. It was ridiculous. People walking by even stopped to watch, intrigued. I turned to scold him but immediately regretted it and snapped my head back.
Too late.
Min Yugeon poked my cheek repeatedly.
“Why’s your face so red? Are you really embarrassed?”
I kept my lips pressed tightly shut and ignored him the rest of the way home, but his teasing didn’t stop.
“Can I bite your cheek?”
“No.”
“Can I hold your hand?”
“You’re already holding my shoulder. What’s the difference.”
While I was doing the biometric scan at the door, Min Yugeon reached out and lightly tickled the back of my neck.
Startled, I flinched and looked at him. He was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite describe. It was the kind of look someone might give a treat too beautiful to take a bite of. Or maybe it was the turbulent gaze of someone who treasured something dearly, yet still wanted to mess with it.
His hand, still resting on my neck, gently slid along my skin and cupped my chin. Lowering his head until our foreheads touched, he whispered,
“Let’s go inside.”
My heart started to pound.
I swung open the already-unlocked door and stepped inside. Before it even shut behind us, my back hit the wall, and our lips crashed together.
Min Yugeon’s usual playfulness had completely vanished as he kissed me, swallowing even my breath with focused intensity.
Without realizing it, I reached up and traced the lines of his face. He bit my lower lip, then let go. Then, as if inviting me to keep touching him, he gently closed his eyes.
Today, more than ever…
“You’re like Cat.”
“Huh?”
Min Yugeon opened his eyes wide.
“Like what?”
“Like Cat. The monster I’m in charge of at the lab.”
“Ah…”
There was something in his expression that looked oddly relieved. He grabbed my hand and rubbed his face against my palm like he was sulking.
“That’s so mean. A monster? I probably listen to you better than that thing does.”
“Not so sure about that.”
“…Not sure?”
Min Yugeon blinked at me in shock. I poked his firm chest repeatedly to provoke him.
“You don’t even know how obedient he is. He probably listens way better than you do.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Dead serious.”
He let out a breathless scoff, clearly flustered. It was a breath full of disbelief and—oddly enough—sincerity. He seemed to be taking it as a challenge.
“So what, you want me to prove how disobedient I can be?”
“I didn’t say you were disobedi—!”
Min Yugeon pulled me toward the living room. I hastily kicked off my shoes by the door as he dragged me along and flung me down onto the sofa. I stared up wide-eyed as his tall frame loomed over me.
He raised both arms and stripped off his shirt, flashing a wicked grin.
“You’re gonna regret that, Seo Suho.”
His eyes sparkled, not even remotely threatening, and yet a chill ran down my spine.
…So yeah, lately, it’s always like this.
Once the mood was set, sex usually came before dinner. It didn’t happen every day—sometimes we stopped at just light petting—but there was no longer even a hint of hesitation between us.
It had moved past the realm of uncertainty. Now it was just a physical sensation filling something that had long been missing from me. I knew in the back of my mind that eventually, I would have to either define what this was between us with Min Yugeon… or end it altogether.
***
“It’s time to eat now.”
“…”
“Come on, up we go.”
Min Yugeon lifted me up from the bed, where I was completely glued like I couldn’t move a muscle.
I hung limp over his arm like a pile of laundry, silently resisting. I had no appetite. After being relentlessly bitten, sucked, and pounded, I had nothing left in me. Fresh from the shower, all I wanted was to fall asleep. It felt like the bed was wrapping me in its arms, seducing me to stay.
“You said I could eat first, so I let you rest. Now it’s your turn, Suho.”
He brought a piece of steak—one I had liked before—close to my lips.
“Ah.”
“…Ah.”
If I fell asleep on an empty stomach, I knew he’d worry. So I opened my mouth obediently. I was too exhausted to even think about taking the chopsticks and feeding myself.
With a gentle smile in his eyes, Min Yugeon slipped the piece into my mouth.
Then, as I chewed slowly, puffing out my cheek, he kissed me lightly there. I was too busy breaking down the meat in my mouth to care. But his sweet voice followed.
“Did anything happen today?”
Anything, huh. I blinked and rewound the events of the day in my head.
“Not really… Oh.”
What Sun Woosung had said flashed through my mind.
“Hey, have you ever seen the outside of the ship?”
Since Engineers handled both internal and external systems, Min Yugeon might have seen the landscape beyond the hull. I sat up, a bit more alert now, and looked straight at him.
He tilted his head, then nodded.
“Yeah, I have.”
“During exterior maintenance?”
“No. We do regular checks before any issues come up, so I go out during those. Engineers have to understand the whole ship’s structure by heart anyway, so most of us go out a lot. Sometimes we use transport devices or fly one of the Reconnaissance Unit’s crafts to observe.”
I see. As I listened quietly, Min Yugeon offered me another bite of steak.
“Why do you ask all of a sudden? Curious about what it’s like out there?”
“Well…”
There wasn’t any reason to hide it, so I nodded.
“Really? It’s kind of dangerous to go out there yourself though…”
Min Yugeon tilted his head slightly, murmuring to himself. He looked deep in thought. I watched him, puzzled.
