It became as easy as breathing to create that subtle, charged atmosphere with Moon Tae-young.
There was something oddly entertaining about watching desire flicker in his eyes. And whenever that happened, either one of them would instinctively reach out, as naturally as making small talk. Tae-young, for his part, liked to toy with Cha Eui-sung’s cheek or run his fingers through his hair.
Did he even realize how much more sensitive he’d made him? How even the slightest tickle on his scalp could now set him off?
Grumbling silently, Eui-sung nuzzled into his body anyway. There was a warmth in Tae-young’s scent—something indescribably soothing. That body heat always had a way of wiping away the mess of tangled thoughts in his mind.
Right now, that’s exactly what Eui-sung needed. A moment to strip away the anxiety of waiting and replace it with calm.
He had no idea how Oh Se-dan was processing the situation, but as the mastermind behind it all, Eui-sung could not—under any circumstance—appear to have access to Tae-young’s private contact info.
Which meant he couldn’t risk reacting too strongly to a strange number either.
Unknown number? Ignore it cleanly. That way, the other side would feel the pressure to reach out again soon.
The one who kept their composure until then would have the psychological upper hand. Sure, technically he was the criminal, but the other guy was probably just as desperate—there was a one-of-a-kind tool on the line, after all.
“What’s got you thinking so hard?”
Ah—he’d gotten lost in thought right in front of him. Shaking his head as if it were nothing, Cha Eui-sung was suddenly met with the soft press of lips against his neck.
Warm, yielding pressure glided up along his throat.
“Ah… huff…”
He didn’t even try to hide the pleased exhale, clinging tighter to Tae-young’s body. Every time they got this close, his face would go all slack without him even noticing.
He’d tried to figure out why this kept happening. In the end, he’d come to the conclusion that maybe—just maybe—he was someone who liked being hugged. A fact he’d never known about himself until he met this man.
Humans are social creatures, after all.
It made sense that warmth from another person would bring a sense of peace. Though just imagining some random stranger opening their arms was enough to make him want to throw up, so this little self-deception was necessary to keep his brain from short-circuiting.
The image of Oh Se-dan suddenly crossed his mind, and Eui-sung gave an involuntary shudder—then let his body melt into the man who was now nibbling gently at his neck.
That same dizzy, floating sensation returned, tightening low in his abdomen.
Are we… doing it tonight?
He couldn’t help but hope. It had only been a few days since Tae-young had finally gone all the way for the first time.
Just the memory alone was enough to make his face burn, and now with this teasing stimulation on top of it, he couldn’t help but tense up.
Tae-young must’ve noticed the way his back stiffened, because a breath tinged with a smirk brushed across his collarbone.
As always, the man’s smooth confidence was annoying… but not exactly unwelcome. Technically, Eui-sung had lived longer, if you went by years alone. Unless, of course, Tae-young had some hidden pre-regression memories bleeding through.
“What type do you like?”
That question slipped out on impulse—about halfway unfiltered.
“…Huh?”
“Your type. You must have one, right? A certain kind of person you prefer?”
Once again, that 100% confirmed former lover floated to the surface of his mind.
What was it about that person that had pulled him in so deeply? What made her the ideal, the end goal of his romantic standard? Eui-sung couldn’t stop the discomforting curiosity from rising again.
“That’s kind of out of the blue, isn’t it?”
“I just… got curious.”
It was for the mission. The mission. He justified it to himself and locked eyes with Tae-young, only to be met with a gaze filled with wary suspicion, as if to say now what are you scheming?
Eui-sung gave a soft chuckle and lightly tapped the tip of Tae-young’s chin. He couldn’t blame him, really.
After all, one of them was a Demon King in the making—sharp as hell, constantly reading people like an open book. The other? A slippery bastard who could vanish at any moment and played mind games like he was born to it.
So when an unexpected question dropped into the mix, it was only natural that their default response was suspicion.
They were the kind of couple who’d raise an eyebrow if the other got too quiet, then start digging through each other’s whereabouts like they were solving a crime.
It was like when a kid or a pet suddenly went silent. Gave you chills. There was a gut instinct that they must be up to something.
Just that thought alone was enough to trigger an obsessive itch, stirring up an ugly need to reassert control.
“Is something going on?”
“No. Nothing like that. Really, it just… came to me all of a sudden. If you think about it, I’m the one who made the first move, right?”
“You say that like I’m just humoring you. Do I seem like the kind of guy who’d go along with something he doesn’t want?”
He had that look again—like, what kind of bullshit is that now? Then his hand gripped Eui-sung’s ass, hard enough to bruise.
“Of course it’s not forced. But when someone’s ridiculously good-looking, preferences don’t really matter, do they?”
“…What?”
“Still, I want to try matching yours a little.”
Cha Eui-sung replied shamelessly, curling the corner of his mouth into a smirk. At least in terms of looks, he knew he had every right to be confident. Not that he’d ever say this to Tae-young directly, but every time he escaped this shitty little village, he made sure to test that theory at bars and other places.
“Did I… do something that upset you?”
“No. It’s not that. So don’t dodge the question—just say anything.”
“That’s a bit sudden.”
“Not too sudden for someone whose hands won’t stop wandering.”
Especially since something was steadily hardening beneath them, where they were pressed together. He had no idea why this kind of question was turning Tae-young on, but the lack of protest meant he wasn’t bothered.
No denial either when he called him handsome. Yeah, Eui-sung’s looks definitely worked on this guy.
“I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Then now’s the time to start. There’s gotta be something in common.”
“Something in common?”
“There must’ve been at least one trait all your past partners shared.”
The idea was to figure that out—analyze his preferences and become the perfect 100% match. Then everyone wins.
As Eui-sung coaxed him with a smooth voice, a strange expression flickered across Moon Tae-young’s face. Considering his usual temperament, this was basically a president’s gone mad-tier act of generosity. Instead of being pleased, though, he gave him a vaguely irritated look.
And just like that, the expression vanished. The same guy who’d clearly been aroused just a moment ago put his poker face right back on.
…Was that a misstep?
Did he come on too strong? Or maybe Tae-young didn’t want to admit that Eui-sung wasn’t his type.
Still, those hands hadn’t stopped groping his waist and ass. So even if his mood had dipped a little, it clearly hadn’t killed the mood entirely.
Tae-young locked eyes with him, gaze intent, as if trying to read his intentions.
It was only after a long pause that he finally spoke again.
“What about you, Eui-sung?”
“Me?”
“That ‘something in common’—what is it for you?”
The oddly formal tone made him sound… sulky, somehow. Sulky? That word felt too cute for someone built like a damn mountain.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“You’re the first, Tae-young. So there is no ‘pattern.’”
“…”
“You’ll probably make most of my preferences from now on.”
Eui-sung tossed out the words like they were no big deal, casting a sideways glance with those dark, flickering eyes. People always loved being someone’s first, didn’t they?
Not just in relationships—everything in life. Being the pioneer, the one who opened a new door, made something feel more special. More valuable.
Even that stiff, emotionally distant Oh Se-dan had once been swayed by a simple, “Wow, I’ve never had food this expensive before,” when he was a newbie. From that point on, if he wanted to praise someone, he wouldn’t just say it with words—he’d take them to a high-end restaurant.
They’d never really bonded emotionally, and half the time they’d barely tolerated each other, but still… Firsts were powerful. They elevated a person in others’ eyes.
At least, that’s how it worked for most people. As far as Eui-sung could recall, it should’ve applied to Moon Tae-young too.
…The hell?
The hand that had been stroking his lower back came to a stop. A sudden shift in the air told him everything—this was the same hesitation Tae-young always showed when they were about to take things further.
Even though they’d already crossed every line there was.
“No.”
“No… what?”
“You were trying to pull back just now. What kind of intense-ass past are you hiding to make that face over a word like ‘first’?”
Eui-sung frowned, his irritation starting to show.
Of course, he got it. Tae-young had probably lived as an Unawakened until his final Awakening Evaluation—the one where you’re issued a Resident Registration Number.
But with that face and that build, if no one had shown interest, that would’ve been even scarier. Unless you were utterly insane, there was no way people wouldn’t flock to him whether he wanted it or not.
Eui-sung didn’t give a damn about any of that. This whole thing had started because of a mission anyway, and he was beyond tired of hearing about that 100% confirmed ex-lover from the last timeline.
So what was with the sudden ethical crisis?
Not that his dick seems to agree…
By now, the pressure digging into his right thigh was downright uncomfortable. If you’re gonna get this hard, then just go for it—what’s with all this pointless restraint?
With a sigh, Eui-sung cupped the back of Tae-young’s head and pulled him in for a kiss—pressing their lips together with a soft smack, then teasing his plush mouth with firm bites from his front teeth.
Unable to hold back, Tae-young swept his tongue across Eui-sung’s lips, then pulled him in deeper. Wet, sticky sounds followed as their mouths locked together again and again, the heat between them rising fast.
“Mmnn…”
Eui-sung let out several breathy, pleasure-laced sighs, prompting Tae-young’s warm hands to slide around his back again—this time slipping under the loose fabric to stroke bare skin.
“…Hoo. I don’t have a past like that.”
Only after thoroughly working his mouth over did Tae-young answer, voice dragging low and slow.
It was a drowsy tone, but his voice was hoarse, dangerously deep—like the fuse of a bomb ready to blow with the slightest spark.
Looking into those smoldering eyes, Cha Eui-sung finally understood.
Why the word first had rattled this guy so much.
Age.
He’d gotten hung up on the damn age difference again. Just seven years, and this annoying-ass Confucian grandpa lost his mind.
