“…Moon Tae-young.”
When Cha Eui-sung called his name with a smile, the blank look on Moon Tae-young’s face softened almost instantly.
Despite the awkwardly low 58% gauge, his expression melted in a way that seemed almost unconscious.
What the hell. Was he always this affectionate?
Cha Eui-sung was a bit caught off guard as he faced him. His heart started racing, as if all the resentment he’d been nursing until now had suddenly lost its edge.
“Why are you out here? It’s cold.”
Why did his voice sound so warm?
Even in this easy-mode world tailored to the Unawakened, he was always like this—worried about Cha Eui-sung first.
Even though the one in real danger was always him. That damn Demon King bastard.
Cha Eui-sung muttered inwardly.
But any sharp thoughts he’d had were quickly smoothed away by the warmth of the hand cupping his cheek.
Moon Tae-young toyed with his earlobe again, then nuzzled his nose into the side of his neck.
At this oddly primal display of affection, Cha Eui-sung found his lips twitching in surprise.
It felt like they were reuniting after months apart.
All the stacked-up anger, the rage that had been quietly building inside him, just seemed to dissolve—just because this man had come all the way here. Ridiculously enough, it melted away without resistance.
So Cha Eui-sung leaned close to his ear and murmured,
“Let’s go inside first.”
It was the first time in days they’d seen each other face to face. Since they were finally together, they needed to talk.
He tugged at Moon Tae-young’s firm arm, and the man followed without a word.
But then, Moon Tae-young suddenly grabbed his wrist.
His large hand tightened around it like a shackle.
At the unfamiliar contact, Cha Eui-sung raised an eyebrow and glanced back.
Only then did Moon Tae-young seem to realize what he was doing. He looked startled and quickly let go.
What was that?
Coming here in the middle of the night unannounced was already out of character, but now even his demeanor seemed off.
Could something have happened to this Demon King bastard? Did he go through something so bad he started acting like this, something I can’t even imagine?
Cha Eui-sung immediately grabbed his hand and inspected it, flipping it back and forth.
His hair was slightly tousled, but there were no visible injuries or filth.
At a glance, he looked perfectly fine.
Even his outfit was neat—so neat that his broad shoulders and pronounced chest stood out clearly through the silhouette, almost pleasingly so.
But his softened expression had hardened again.
Is he going to complain about me ignoring his calls or something? Well, I’ve got plenty to say too.
After all, half the reason he left Cheongseri in the first place was this infuriating guy.
Click.
He tapped the hotel card key, and with a mechanical clunk, the lock disengaged.
Cha Eui-sung opened the door and stepped into the lived-in room he’d made his own, casually slipping off his shoes.
He had Moon Tae-young sit down at the narrow table tucked beneath the bed, then walked over to boil some water in the electric kettle.
After opening a complimentary tea pack and dropping it into a cup, he turned around—only to find Moon Tae-young sitting quietly, lost in thought.
“What brings you all the way here?”
He finally asked, belatedly. There was a slight reproach in his tone.
Was it a difficult question to answer?
Moon Tae-young just stared into his eyes for a long moment, as if searching for the right words—then softly asked something else.
“More importantly… are you okay? I was worried.”
“Ah. Yeah, well… I really did just trip by accident. I didn’t expect to get that drunk so suddenly.”
“Did you drink here?”
“Alcohol? Uh, no.”
This place didn’t look like a room where a drinking session had happened, so Cha Eui-sung immediately denied it—then suddenly remembered.
He couldn’t just drink any liquor anywhere, given his condition.
“I, uh, went to someone’s place. Since I was in Seoul for the first time in a while, they kept asking to meet up.”
He quickly added the explanation while taking off his coat, and felt those unreadable black eyes follow his every move.
“A friend?”
“Hmm… Not quite a friend.”
He turned his head slightly, giving a vague answer.
He didn’t want to bring up anything about Go Yeong-won.
But even though he trailed off, Moon Tae-young’s gaze seemed to silently demand more.
Tell me everything.
Click.
Just then, the kettle finished boiling, and the sound cut through the silence.
Cha Eui-sung quickly poured the hot water into the cup and handed it to Moon Tae-young.
Then he turned to look out the window, trying to shift the mood.
Now that the initial flurry of excitement and confusion over Moon Tae-young’s visit had passed, his brain started functioning again.
Should’ve just gotten a room somewhere completely different. Damn it. Of all places, I stayed right near Go Yeong-won’s house while drunk…
The original plan was to tie up Go Yeong-won’s interest, make sure things were stable, then go back down to Cheongseri and pretend to be out cold.
Then, using the excuse of stumbling into that clearing on a whim, he’d intended to play it cool and gently push things toward a deeper connection.
But thanks to Go Yeong-won’s antics, things had ended on an ambiguous note. To make matters worse, Moon Tae-young had waltzed straight into that guy’s vicinity, as if guided by instinct.
And the look on that Demon King bastard’s face—after racing all the way up here in one breath—was not normal. He was speaking even less than usual, making it hard to read his mood at all.
Shit. Cha Eui-sung studied the still tips of Moon Tae-young’s fingers and quickly shifted strategy. If he could just redirect that oddly fixated attention away from the drinking and act like he was giving in—like he had no choice but to leave Seoul with him—it might actually be the better play.
And while they were at it, maybe they could resolve the dungeon issue—the real reason Moon Tae-young had been avoiding him. Of course, doing that meant swallowing his pride and tugging at his sympathy again.
Because that stone-hearted man only ever showed vulnerability to him in those exact moments.
Ugh, I really don’t want to pretend I’m sick again.
Something told him that in this kind of situation, spraying blood like a damn fountain would only make things worse. Besides, unless it was a skill side effect, he couldn’t just spew blood on command like that anyway.
Maybe he’d be better off acting needy, like when he’d barged into Moon Tae-young’s place before. Since he was already a little drunk, he could just turn it into a teary confession, pass it off as alcohol-fueled rambling.
That might do the trick.
As he quickly sorted his thoughts and turned his head, his gaze caught on the bedding. It reminded him of the past few days when he hadn’t been able to sleep properly. His shoulders slumped.
“…I know you’re busy.”
Cha Eui-sung murmured as he wrapped his hands around the hot teacup. His face looked calm—determinedly so—as if he was swallowing down something bitter and refusing to show it.
Moon Tae-young’s hand twitched slightly at the sight of him deflating like that.
“I get it. Not everyone’s feelings are gonna line up with mine.”
“…Cha Eui-sung.”
“That’s why I just needed some space. If you’re wondering why I came here… that’s pretty much it.”
He tapped the side of the teacup with his index finger, the uneven rhythm betraying his restless thoughts.
After hesitating for a bit, he opened his mouth again.
“Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while I’ve been here… and I think I pushed you too much.”
“…What?”
“Damn. It does sound weird when I say it out loud, huh? But yeah, I get it. I must’ve been a pain.”
Cha Eui-sung let out a bitter laugh. Sure, deep down he was fuming—You cocky bastard, you don’t even give me gauge and you’re dodging me like you’re too good for this?—but the truth was, it wasn’t the first time Moon Tae-young had avoided him.
He was good at faking a sad smile. That part was easy.
Except this time, for some reason, it felt like something was stuck in his throat. Aside from that, his performance was flawless.
He swallowed hard, forcing down the rush of emotion and sharply turned his head away. Even though the words had come out of his own mouth, they still sounded too much like a losing hand. His lips trembled as if the weight of it all was pressing down on him.
How much more do I have to let slide before I’ve “lost enough”?
That thought surged up in his chest, but he clenched it down, reminding himself of the mission.
Get a grip. There’s a future ahead of me so bright it’ll blind me. What the hell’s a little pride compared to that?
Yeah. If anything, it was a good thing this wasn’t real. If he were actually chasing after Moon Tae-young because he genuinely liked him, this would’ve hurt a lot more.
But it was just work. No reason to be upset.
“…Sorry. For poking around on my own.”
Even though he didn’t feel remotely sorry, he apologized anyway. And just then, a line from his counseling session with Jeong Seong-hyu echoed in his ears.
“Eui-sung, I think it might help to really think about which emotions make you feel uncomfortable.”
Bullshit.
Cha Eui-sung shattered that useless thought and incinerated it in his mind.
“I never thought you were annoying. I was just… a little busy.”
Moon Tae-young quickly corrected himself, but Cha Eui-sung only gave him a sour smile, as if to say, It’s fine.
“I’m not an idiot, you know. I noticed you were avoiding me.”
The bluntness of it made Moon Tae-young’s eyes stiffen behind his glasses—for a whole different reason.
“I just… tch. I was curious, that’s all. About what you’re hiding. I thought maybe—just maybe—if I knew, I could help somehow.”
“…I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You know what I’m talking about.” Cha Eui-sung let out a long breath. “That thing I saw. That’s why you’ve been avoiding me, isn’t it?”
He bit down hard on his lip. The pale skin flushed with color. Moon Tae-young watched that, his brows knitting slightly.
“That’s why I’m owning up to everything. Because, in the end… I’m the one who wants something.”
He said something so pathetic like it was no big deal, fluttering his pale lashes with a soft smile that was both bitter and serene. Like he’d finally managed to say the lines he’d practiced a hundred times.
Silence settled between them.
Moon Tae-young sat frozen, like someone hit with something he hadn’t seen coming.
Cha Eui-sung cast him anxious glances, sipping at the steaming tea again and again.
The hot liquid slid down his throat, but he didn’t feel even a hint of a burn. Even so, Moon Tae-young’s expression only kept getting darker.
“…Why do you think that?”
“…Sorry?”
“Why do you think you’re the one who wants something more, Eui-sung?”
His voice cracked. Cha Eui-sung paused with the cup halfway down and turned to look at him, startled.
“Well… because I’m the one who came onto you. I was the one who kept coming back even when you pushed me away, over and over again.”
His clear eyes glimmered as if saying, You really need me to spell this out?
Sure, the gauge had gone up quite a bit, but squatting in someone’s home was still a far cry from messing with the Outer Gods.
Just being a pitiful guy with a bit of a crush wouldn’t be enough to break into his hidden world.
“Do you like me?”
Cha Eui-sung asked plainly. It was a question he’d asked several times before—but had never once gotten a straight answer.
And just like that, Moon Tae-young let out a strange noise, took off his glasses, and pressed a hand over his eyes.
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